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Many would have you believe that the Ancients don't exist. The Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, or even Jack Frost, despite how many stories there are of them across the world, or how everyone seems to have been talking about them throughout the ages. For all anyone knows, they started out as oral stories, being told from parent to child, carrying through the generations with few, if any, changes. The Tooth Fairy has always taken teeth; Santa always gave gifts, and the Easter Bunny always spread fun to the kids by hiding eggs or giving treats. Of course, Jack Frost was always cold, always drawing on your windows, or freezing your water bottles on your way to class.However, there are more Ancients, ones that haven't yet been mentioned. Of these, the most important would be Cupid; or shall one say Cupids?Come from a long line of powerful beings, Cupid takes the form of a young woman. She's the keeper of Old Love, the kind of love that you feel when you've been married for 19 years and you still feel that flutter in your heart when your partner walks into the room, when you still believe your partner to not have aged when you're nearing your final days. She's not alone.All of the stories told, or mentioned, exist. They only appear under the condition that you believe in them, that you trust in them. If you don't, well then. You live a sad and magic-less life, don't you?Tooth is very nice, and sadly doesn't come out often. North is busy year round, but will take time out of his day to give you the attention you need. Easter Bunny is actually Bunnymund, and can be cold before you get to know him. Jack could be called the worst of the bunch, depending on your personality. He's energetic, childish, carefree. Deadlines don't scare him to the point that he pretends they don't exist. Why should the protector of Childhood worry about such adult issues? However, with this attitude raises an issue; Jack is so dense to the more adult issues that he becomes completely blind to anyone he pisses off aside from those he pisses off in a joking manner. Such as with Bunny and the blizzard from years back. This story, not told by anyone else at any point in time, was unbeknownst to the icy man himself until it was rudely shoved into his face. This is the story of how he'd pissed off Cupid's son. To preface, Cupid and Jack got along very well. Cupid hadn't even met Jack on purpose; rather they ran into one another while Jack was still a free spirit, bringing joy to those who couldn't see him. She'd been in a rush against the bitter cold, bringing love to those who stood under the falling flakes. "My apologies, ma'am!" Jack had done an exaggerated bow, pretending to take off a hat as he bent before her, glancing back up in awe when he heard a reply. "No, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." She'd paused, just to gather some information on who she'd just been blown into, noting his pale blue eyes and his white hair. "What's your name?" "Frost! Jack Frost, to be precise, always at your service!" They'd shaken hands, promising to have a snowball fight the next day if she could find him. This had been far back in the 1850's (Cupid would later learn that Jack had passed away in 1812, after he'd regained his memories), and their friendship had grown stronger since. When you've got eternity laid before you, you tend to wait things out, to let the information reveal itself as it decides. For Cupid, Jack had been there through many of her ordeals. Granted, she'd been a Cupid for many years, long before Jack had even been considered Jack; hell, she'd been born before time was counted by years, by thousands of years!After Jack arrived, however, he brought fun into her life. Jack was the one who suggested that she try out different things aside from the normal chocolates and wine. He had multitudes of snowball fights, and even barged into her Cupid duties by suggesting that they spice up certain pairings, including and not limited to making a prince and a shepherd boy fall in love. Despite how many claimed he was ruining her, leading her straight to her doom, she denied these claims and kept him around. For some reason, the topic of family never came up, aside from a passing "Ah, but I promised my wife-" or "The children begged me to stay in-". Jack never wandered the castle long enough to find any other rooms, never even found the family tree, which hung in the throne room. Sometime during the 1900's, no one's sure when, Frost ran into a new creature-no, a new person. Much like with Cupid, he hadn't been paying attention. He'd been chucking snowballs at unsuspecting victims down on the street, creating chaotic fun when he'd heard a shrill cry. "No!" the voice was panicked, a bit in the higher pitch. "Now I'll have twice the work to do!"Frost turned around, facing the newcomer, wondering about the fuss. He was met with glaring eyes that seemed familiar, black pac-man shaped eyes that stared down in the ground in horror. A soft pink bow was strapped to this person's back, their hands pressed to their head, pushing some dark blonde hair into their eyes. Most interestingly was the pink, slim dragon-like tail that swished in clear irritation. "You!" the person startled Jack, making him back up as they flew up to him, taking out their bow and an arrow, aiming straight at him. "Just what did you do to my town!?"Jack shrugged. "I gave them a snow day, why?"This newcomer, apparently a man, cussed, snapping an arrow in half. Drops of red fell to the ground, vanishing the moment they hit the ground. "You've essentially locked them into their homes! Now I'll have to go to every house in this god forsaken town and shoot everybody in the house!" the man mussed up his hair, cussing even more before taking out another arrow. "What's your name."Frost saw no need to lie, figuring that this would all blow over quickly, and he'd be able to return to having fun. "I'm Jack Frost. Heard of me? I'm rather famous."The boys' face scrunched up, his entire framework conveying annoyance and disgust. "Sadly I have. Now get out of this town! You've caused enough damage as is."Jack didn't even have a choice; the newcomer booted him out of the town by shooting an arrow dangerously close to his face. He wasn't sure if it would hurt him, but chances simply couldn't be taken right now. That had been decades ago at this point in time. Jack had long since forgotten about what had even occurred, and even if he remembered, the events of Pitch Black and his nightmare army certainly pushed back all thoughts of it from his mind. He simply didn't have time to think about it anymore. The only reason he remembered it now was because, well.A very pissed off and very familiar face was staring at him from across the meeting table in Cupids tea room.
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The warmth wasn't what made him open his eyes; it actually had the opposite effect. Yet the blinding light behind his lids made him open his eyes, wanting to see what was causing such a pain. He could feel light brushes, grass perhaps, against his cheek. The sounds of birds chirping made his eyes turn to their source, but of course, they couldn't be found.A cold hand cupping his face made him realize what was going on; he'd had this dream over and over again, always ending the same. Nonetheless, he looked at the owner of the hand, seeing their outline. He could never see their face. It seemed everything in this dream was fuzzy, never clear.Ida sighed as the person ran their hands through his hair, a small chill running down his spine. Whoever was with him knew him well, perhaps hinting that this dream was set in the future, mostly due to the fact that Ida never told anyone that he was a sucker for having his hair pulled back, feeling fingers run along his scalp and the nails just barely scraping along.He wanted to frown when they placed their hands back to his jaw, their thumb moving in circles.Gently, he placed his own hand over theirs, a sigh of love, warmth, the feeling of being complete.It wasn't that he could tell that this person was in love with him, and him them, that made him feel complete. Cupids, all of them, had dreams of someone that loved them, that was likely their soulmate. Ida could remember distinctly that one of his ancestors had a similar dream about her cat, and had ensured that the cat lived as long as she did, having been terrified of what would happen should that not happen. And his other ancestor, Juliet; her dream had led her to having... relations... with a dragon. At this thought, Ida ran a hand over the hair-like ends of his tail.His sense of completeness was addictive, this much he knew. He moved his head into thie person's hands, letting them wrap their arms around him, bringing him to their chest.Gentle kisses, first at his lips and then down, made him want to swoon, much like his elder sister did whenever she even remotely fell in love. He went to return the kisses, but paused.That's when he felt the cold prickling on his arms, felt the cold breath puff into his face. He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes snapping open.The fuzziness that had ensnared him before was now clearing up quickly, letting him catch a glimpse of whomever had been showing him the affection and love. He only saw white hair and a flash of blue; then-He sat up, breathing heavily and looking around.He was fine, he was okay. He was in his bed, no one next to him, silk bedsheets and the pillows that appeared to have had an attempted mangling to them. He felt as if he'd run a marathon, and swallowed an ice cube. His entire insides were cold and he feld a chill run up his spine. He needed to drink something warm, else he freeze from the inside out.He slid out of bed, his feet sinking into the warm carpet that was beneath his bed, which hung from the ceiling. The room seemed to be colder, although he couldn't place why, seeing as how it was June in the America's. Maybe the winter was finally setting in for him?He shook this thought off, heading to his closet in search of something he could wear that day before appearing before his Mother. A quick few flicks, tail twitching in annoyance, and he found the outfit he'd wear for the day. Black jeans, of course. Black shoes, red shirt with long sleeves and a heart pocket.He never could find it within himself to wear anything other than his usual vest, but for some reason, he felt as if he'd regret wearing the vest. So he went with the shirt. He threw them on, passing by his mirror and ruffling up his hair as he headed to the door.The halls remained silent as Ida walked down them, breathing in the clear air. His lungs and stomach still felt as if he'd sucked in a glacier, but he tried to remain ignorant of this fact. He'd much rather focus on how the Tree was doing, if it was alright and if there was anything wrong.The Tree appeared to be doing fine. Running his jointed hands over the smooth bark, he could tell that today was a day full of puppy love. His sister must be out and about, whisking around those who were falling in love.And smacking the shit out of the pedophiles. Ida snickered to himself, glancing out the gigantic windows. He barely looked out when he found himself at the door of his mothers tearoom.He pushed it open, sneezing when he did so. The room smelled thoroughly of peppermint. He glanced from his mother, who almost brushed up against the lower-hanging chandelier while she sat. She wasn't wearing her usual Cupid garb. Instead, she was wearing a nice, soft pink sweater, her hair wrapped up. He could tell, even without actual eyes, that she was looking to him.He went over, getting her to lean down enough for her cheek to reach him. "Morning, Mother."A small ahem reminded him that his Mum was there as well, practically hidden by the sweater. He smiled sheepishly, going over to the black-haired woman and kissing her cheek as well."Morning, Mum."His mum gave a smile. "You've been sleeping for a long time, Ida. We were starting to worry about you..."Mother nodded, gently picking up her cup. "I could hear that your dreams were troubling you before you woke up."Ida sat across from them, taking pastries from the small platter and getting himself some tea, avoiding their eyes on him."I was having another Novelty." He admitted, brushing his hair back. "The same one as before."His mothers sat up straighter at his, their eyes showing their concern."Shouldn't your Novelty bring you longer rests? They shouldn't be waking you up with such horrible feelings...""Something must not be right, if it is. Have you been seeing the person in your dream?" Mother was trying to be helpful, this he knew."Well... no. Not in the dream or real life..." He was reluctant to admit this part. Cupid's always knew who they loved, and who they longed to be with.All Ida knew was that this person had white hair and blue eyes, and there were dozens of people that matched that description in Valentines Village. It had been a struggle to even figure out what this person even remotely looked like, and Ida wasn't willing to date every single person that had blue eyes and white hair until his dreams stopped.He heard his Mum's cup drop back to it's saucer. "Sweetie, are you sure you're willing to continue with these dreams? You say you haven't met them, but it's clear you have if all you've done is Novelties.""Yeah, Mum, I'll be fine. I've got plenty of time to figure things out."His Mother finally spoke up, adjusting her wife accordingly as she sat up. "We can talk more about this later; I know it's important, but a guest is coming over, and I'm sure Ida wouldn't want his problems to be spoken out so publicly."Ida's mum started protesting, but Mother brushed her hair back, hushing her. Ida calmly ate his pastries, mulling his dreams over. A small chime alerted the family to their guest, cold air brushing past their feet and drawing goosebumps up their legs. Mum sat up, removing herself from her wife's lap as she headed over to the tearoom doors. She propped one of the heavy doors open with a small vase, walking out.The feeling of an ice cube running down his throat returned as Ida heard her words from down the hall. "Jack! We've been waiting for you! Come along, we're all in the tearoom."Ida slowly looked up, eyes wide. No, it must be someone else. It had to be someone else. He'd been avoiding him for years ever since the Incident, and he didn't want the face that was coming through the doorway to be the one he thought it to be. His face contorted in barely-supressed rage, tapping his finger on the rim of his teacup.His Mum came through the door, all smiles, holding a familiar staff in her hands. She handed it to his Mother, pressing a kiss to her cheek."I took it from him because of the no weapons rule." she giggled, his Mother nodding as she gently placed the staff in the corner.Ida nearly broke his cup as he saw the next person that came through the door.Still taller than him by a few inches, still with his rediculous white hair, his icey eyes, the fact that he was still barefoot- It all pissed Ida off. He didn't want him here, he was ready to scream.His Mother stood, going across the room and wrapping her arms around him in a hug, which he returned, smiling."Jack Frost! It's been too long."He patted her back. "You're telling me! Glad to be back; things got really hectic recently. I needed something to balance it all out."She led him to the table, unaware of the dirty looks Ida was passing Frost, seeming not to notice how tightly Ida was clutching his cup. Frost stared at Ida, mostly in confusion. Ida wanted to smack the confusion off his face."Ida! I'm not sure if you've met him before! Jack, this is Ida, he's my son. Youngest in the bunch."Jack gave a small laugh, looking at her. "You've stopped?""In your dreams, Frost, in your dreams." she said in a sing song voice.Ida kept his gaze back down at his plate, now beginning to push the pastries around his plate. His mother, in his opinion, was far too happy to see him, considering what he'd done to Valentines all those years ago. Ida could feel eyes on him, and glanced up. Jack was still looking at him, still likely trying to piece together where he'd seen Ida before. Ida gave a glare in return, causing Jack's expression to change to startled.His mother caught this, of all things. "Ida, that was rather rude.""I'm sorry, Mother. Frost and I have met before... and not in a good way." his tone snipped at the end, making his mother set her cup down, folding her hands together.Silence passed over the table before Cupid spoke, veering the conversation into what Jack had been doing for the past few decades. Ida ate his pastries as Jack spoke of Pitch, how he'd finally gotten a child to see him, and how he'd had the children help with defeating him. The most startling for both Valentines had to be that Jack willingly became a Guardian.Ida bit his tongue, annoyance growing. How come this impulsive, childish boy managed to become a Guardian, someone meant to protect and serve others?! Ida drummed his fingers against the table, his glare getting worse as time wore on.It wasn't long before his Mother looked out the window, straightening as she saw that the day was gone. "Oh! I'm sorry Jack, it seems that we've held you for much longer than you wanted...""it's alright." Jack smiled, standing. "I can grab my staff and leave, it'll be okay.""I don't think so." Ida had spoken without meaning to, and now both pairs of eyes were on him. Ida cleared his throat, looking away, "The Tree seems fine, lately, but it's getting around the time where it shuts down, and attacks anything that leaves before the times because it's confused. Remember?"As much as he hated Frost, he knew that the world would hate him if he didn't prevent Jack Frost from being killed, especially since he was now a Guardian. Therefore, he was now an important piece to the puzzle that was the world."You're right.." Mother mulled it over, before looking at Ida. "Sweetie, can he sleep in your room? I understand that you... don't like him." she narrowed her eyes at this. "But if you're right, then if the Tree will be upset if he sleeps in a different room, and I'm sure that your presence will deter the Tree from making any hasty decisions while we sleep."Ida wished that he kept his mouth shut, but he sighed, knowing the look he was being given by his mother. "Alright..."She smiled, kissing the top of his head before she got up, heading out. "Goodnight, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning."Now Jack and Ida were alone, Ida sighing as he sat up, picking up the plates that were now empty. Frost still ate the remaining food, Ida taking the plates as they were cleared and placing them in the woven baskets that laid at the entrance to the kitchen. Finally, everything was put away, and Ida motioned for Frost to follow him. Frost grabbed his staff, rushing to catch up with Ida, who'd begun walking away without checking to see if he was following.The young Valentine was fuming with himself, mentally facepalming at the fact that despite his hatred, he had once again allowed his mother to convince him to do something that he'd rather die than do. Granted, it was only for a night, and it was to ensure Frost's saftey, but he wouldn't have minded shoving Frost into a linen closet and shutting it tight. His mother offering Frost his room meant that she was up to no good, and he didn't want to take chances.The two boys remained silent was they walked down the long, elegant hall. Ida glanced at the walls, and noted that he'd been right; the wood was twisting, turning, and changing colors at some points. He'd made the right call when he'd said that the tree was trying to kill everything it didn't know. Frost, on the other hand, wasn't so immersed with his thoughts. He hummed, twirled his staff (Twiner, if Ida put his memory to the test to see if he could remember what the damn thing was called) round his hand, and even tried to strike up conversation with the Cupid that continued to lead him down twisting halls."So. We got off on the wrong foot?" He glanced out the window, seeing the village that sprawled over gentle hills.No response. Ida hardly looked back at him, the only response he even recieved was that of an ear twitch."Got any important responsibilities to do today?"More silence, before a quiet, "Wouldn't you like to know.""I'm just trying to be nice and conversational here, and I can't exactly talk to myself."At this, Ida turned and glowered, before facing forward once more. He stopped outside of a pale white door, which curved high above them. Ida pushed it open easily, despite the door appearing to be made of a heavy kind of wood."You can, and you will." Ida's tone remained clipped as he walked into his room, Frost following on his heels."What did I do to make you so mad at me?" Jack scoffed, still fiddling with Twiner as he gathered a sense of where he was.To put it simply: He was in a room that screamed musical aesthetic. Ida headed towards a closet in the far corner, pretending not to hear Jack's question as he dug out some huge shirts and some sweatpants. He chucked them at Jack before returning to the closet and it's contents."Go get changed. Bathrooms on your left." Ida seemed to be changing in the closet, not coming out until he was changed.Jack tilted his head, confused. "I have to change?""If you're going to be sleeping in my clean bed, I don't want your dirty, muddy pants and feet on my sheets. Go take a shower and get changed." Ida's tail swished in annoyance, the pink flashing brightly in the candlelight.Jack found no reason to argue; he was a guest in the home, and Ida technically had just saved his life, despite the clear unwillingness of having done so. He walked into the bathroom, but came out a second later."What." Ida glared back at him in irritation."I don't know how to work bathrooms." Jack put this bluntly. He'd walked in and had been lost right away.Ida returned to his journal, writing a few things in it as he spoke. "Go in. Remove clothes. Walk into water. Nymphs will handle the rest since you're rediculously stupid.""Well that's not very nice, now is it?" Jack scoffed, taking up the towel he'd been given once more."Well, neither was ruining Valentines' Day, but we don't get to be nice all the time, do we?" Jack didn't hear this, already on the move back to the bathroom.It was nearly time for Ida to collapse onto his bed and pass out when Jack came back out of the bathroom. He grimaced with every step, and the clothes seemed ill-fitting for him, in Ida's opinion. To be fair, no one had seen him outside of his 'uniform' very often. No matter what he'd been givien, he'd likely have been just as unflattering.Ida sprinkled red sand onto the still-wet ink, gently putting some blotting paper between the pages as he shut the journal, setting it back amongst the rest of the books. Jack stood awkwardly, watching as Ida stood, stretched, and headed to his bed. Ida didn't turn his head as he spoke."Yes, you're sleeping in my bed. Mother would kill me if she found out I let you sleep on the floor. Venus forbid if I made you sleep on the floor..." he scowled at this."So we'll be bed mates?" Jack gave a little grin, walking over to the bed that was large enough for both boys and then some."Don't test my patience, Frost." Ida flopped on the bed, face-first, grabbing a blanket at random and tossing it over his head. He was ready to sleep, even if it meant facing the nightmare once more.Jack went quiet as his host fell asleep, crawling onto the bed and finding a spot that he deemed comfortable. He glanced at all the blankets Ida wasn't using, taking as many that he could and grabbing all the pillows that he could gather as well. Very quickly, he found that he had created a huge area simply for this (likely) short rest.He laid back, looking over at the now-sleeping form of Ida. He didn't seem to appear so pissed-off when he was sleeping; granted, he still maintained a frown, but his eyebrows weren't furrowed, and his eyes weren't flashing with hate whenever he talked to Jack. Instead, he was frowning, eyes clothed, blankets wrapped around himself tightly, almost as if to keep away a chill.Jack thought this over; he wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that Ida hated him. It wasn't even questionable, Ida made his dislike clear. But why? Jack couldn't even remember a reason as to why someone would hate him so badly.He shrugged it off, knowing that he was loosing sleep over trying to figure out something he could ask Cupid in the morning.As he began to drift off, Ida's face changed, a face of pain and longing. His hand reached out, searching. It was such a strange sight, considering that earlier that same face had given him the death stare, and that same hand had made some rather rude guestures when Cupid hadn't been looking. Yet Jack couldn't help but reach back; maybe it was instinct from all the times children reached for him to hold his hand while they did some mundane task, or from when North had been teaching him manners (which didn't end well).Ida relaxed the moment Jack's hand met his, the jointed fingers moving to wrap around Jack's hand. He couldn't pull his hand away even if he tried.Jack watched as Ida shuffled in his sleep once more, pulling himself more towards the owner of the hand. The Guardian complied, bringing himself closer and meeting the Valentine in the middle. Finally, Ida laid still, the frown vanishing from his face. He now simply looked like any other resting being.Jack closed his eyes, finding himself suddenly exhausted. He supposed he could figure out things tomorrow; he certainly couldn't figure out the opposing actions that Ida was portraying.He faded into sleep, falling into a dream that was filled with plesantries.Ida, on the other hand, got a good nights rest for the first time in years.
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A/N: I’m not sure still on how I can get to the ending I have planned for this.
I just know I have an ending.
The quiet whispering woke him, this time.
He was familiar with whom was whispering to him, the lives that were watching his own as he lived it. The familiar dream-grass that waved over him was so soft, and he was far too tempted to simply lay in it and keep his eyes closed.Yet once more, the light forced him awake.He sat up slowly, cautious on how he moved. More than once, he’d been awoken in the dream only to find a trap lying in wait, shoving him awake in the real world.A bright blue sky, the green grass with the yellow and purple flowers, and the Omni-present shadows of his ancestors.“You know, it’s rude to watch someone sleep.” He went to stand, but was yanked back by something.He turned, and there was a form, surrounded by Anne’s lace, their hand entwined in his. While holding this persons hand was nice, and their hand was warm and inviting, he forced himself to let go, and to get them to let go.“I need to talk with my family for a second.” He hope that this would, in some way, help, yet it was fruitless.The being spoke, but their voice was horribly distorted. “Stay.”“I can’t. They’re watching, and I need to talk to them.”“Who?”“My family. They’re watching.”“But no ones there.” At this point, the being wrapped their arm around Idas waist, using their free hand to cup his cheek.The chill returned, dancing along the areas where this person had their arms and hands. Normally, Ida would be furious, demanding that he be let go. Now, however, he leaned into the hand, taking in the affection he hardly allowed himself when he was awake.“Come back to bed.” The being led Ida back to the spot they’d been resting in, despite Idas turns to look at the shadows of his ancestors.They continued to watch him, slowly vanishing as he returned to his spot with the being. When he’d settled down, he stared at the being, trying to gather details. White hair, blue clothes... and a square jaw?Ida sat up, studying the person ever closer. Before, it was a simple outline and colors Ida could get. Now, he could tell what the hairstyle the person wore was, and it was strangely familiar. He could squint and see that this person had light blue eyes, which were staring at him in abject confusion.Why were they so familiar?They belonged to someone he knew, but. He simply couldn’t place his finger on it. His hand reached out, desperate to try and figure out this mystery, but the person moved away, leaving him feeling cold and helpless.When Ida awoke, his hand was outstretched above him, and it aches as if the position had been held for hours. Even before he realized he was alone, he felt tears run down the sides of his face, the sense of loss heavy within the air.
When Jack had taken Ida up on his offer of staying in his bedroom, in order to prevent a tree from becoming murderous and killing him, he hadn’t expected half the things he had that night.
First, he had a bath.Not horrible, but strange nonetheless. The nymphs that giggled at him didn’t make him feel better, and he as relieved to find out that there were indeed bathing shorts for guests, and a changing room.Secondly, he hadn’t expected to fall asleep.He was dead, and had been for centuries. He didn’t need sleep, even. It was a nice experience, yes, and it passed the time, but was it necessary? Absolutely not.Thirdly, even when he was asleep, he had the strangest dream that he’d ever had; and that’s saying something, considering his life.Waking up in a field of flowers and green grass was nice. In fact, many would say it was lovely.However, what wasn’t lovely was the (hopefully) sleeping body next to him. The body didn’t move, and it didn’t have many features to it. All he could see was tan-ish skin, a few tufts of dirty blonde hair, and a few random lines here and there.The image had freaked him out completely; it’s not everyday you see a probably-dead body within your dreams, and anytime Jack dreamed about someone that was dead, it never ended well.So many sleepless nights had taught him this.But as for the final thing that creeped him out, it had to be Ida himself.Despite Ida showing clear hatred when he was awake, he wanted to show love when he was asleep, apparently. Having woken from his dream, Jack had become a sort-of guard, mostly looking out the window that Idas bed rested near. The moon was full, shining brightly.“Sorry, Moon. The Tree said no work tonight.” He gave a light chuckle, then paused as Ida shuffled in his sleep.When Jacks had set up his position for guarding the two of them, he’d moved to the edge of the bed, in order to avoid being near Ida. Ida, on the other hand, sat up, and was squinting behind Jack, as if to try and see what was hiding in the shadows. A moment passed, and Ida crawled over to the winter sprite, collapsing back to the bed when he was a few inches away. The Cupid’s arms opened up, wrapping around Jacks waist, and pulling him close.Ida's face nestled into Jack's side, falling still once more. It seems that Ida was that person that cuddled others in his sleep, or a pillow if he was alone. That would explain a few of the large, stuffed animals that he’d seen before Ida had tossed them into the closet.Jack was terrified. On one hand, if he moved, Ida might wake up and claim Jack put him there. On the other, if he left him there until he woke up, Ida would be furious, more so than he was before.He voted to leave Ida alone. If worst came to worse, it’d be easy to tell Ida that he’d been the one to get all buddy-buddy with him. Hours passed. The moon went down. Jack watched patiently, eyed dancing slowly around the room as Ida remained in his huddled up position.That’s when he began to speak and move, promptly scaring the living Christ out of Jack.“I need to talk with my family for a second.” He let go of Jack, climbing out of bed and heading to the door.Now, he may have been the only one, but Jack wasn’t one to let someone who’s unconscious leave a room at random.“Stay.”Jacks unease has grown when Idas eyes were revealed to be closed still, and he was sure no one was up at this hour.That didn’t mean they were free from danger, of course. Ida was a Cupid after all, and they were very highly ranked, even compared to the Guardians; the only difference was that while Guardians protected kids, Cupids protected the feeling of love, and the actions that stemmed from this feeling. A very important thing, Jack found.“I can’t. They’re watching, and I need to talk to them.” Well, that was not something you wanted to hear in the early morning hours.“Who?” Jack gently ran his hands up Ida's arm, trying to lure him back to bed; Ida was resistant to this, pulling back.“My family. They’re watching.” Ida continued to pull back, growing desperate.“But no ones there.” Jack rested his hand on Ida's cheek, trying to get him to face him, or at least deter him from heading to the door again. Surprisingly, Ida allowed this, even going so far as to nuzzle into his hand.“Come back to bed.” He whispered.Finally, Ida stopped. He turned and looked behind him, then turned back to Jack, tiredly moving back to the bed. He fell back and stopped moving and speaking, letting Jack grow hopeful that maybe the strangeness was over.Of course, he was wrong, but at least he had a few moments of peace before Ida once more did something strange: he sat up and looked over Jack, eyes half-open but hazy.Jack had a feeling that while Ida was looking, he wasn’t truly seeing. Finally, finally, Ida laid himself back down, pulling Jack closer again.The winter sprite gave a relived sigh, daring to loop an arm around the Cupid and letting his hand rest on Idas shoulder. The sunset was beautiful. The humans would be jealous of it, that was for sure. Jack had slipped away from the sleeping Cupid, not taking his chances on seeing if Ida rose early. He padded down the hallways, glancing out the windows as he did so.The pink clouds reminded him of cotton candy. The Rivers were startlingly similar to the paintings Jack has seen on his journey as the winter sprite he now was.The hallways were twisting and winding, confusing Jack until he found that he could no longer return to Ida's room even if he wanted to.Instead, he stumbled upon a room which must have been the dining room.Young people, at least in their 20s, were setting a table. A quick count of the table revealed that there would be 10 people sitting there. Everything about this room made him feel strange, as if something bigger was going on. Something like a party?It was on the tip of his tongue, a phrase he’d learned ages ago, when he’d last visited.The people, servants he supposed, brushed out the tablecloth, set down napkins and silverware that was freshly polished. Plates with intricate details that shine were set next to these utensils, and the curtains were flung open with ease.As the people cleared out, Jack wandered after them, curious as to how this place worked- after all, he’d usually only been over for tea, it wasn’t like he’d been there for anything else.The people walked out through an oak door, smiling and chatting with one another. He followed them through the maze of doors and hallways, glancing through the windows to check how much time was passing,It wasn’t long before the group reached a smaller door, where loud laughter and music was coming through.Jack was drawn to this door, excitement building as the door was opened. His eyes went wide, glancing around at the scene before him.It was as if he’d walked into North’s shop, only... livelier, almost, brighter!Hundreds, if not thousands, of people, all dressed in Valentine attire, sat at large tables, conversing with one another brightly.Decorations were being put up by half the population, the other half eating and waiting for their turn. Jack took quick note that the elderly, children, disabled, or pregnant Valentines were the ones sitting and eating. Those who were able-bodied were diving the work by what they could do, based on their skills. Jack only guessed this by the fact that a leader was chatting with the workers before they were given a job.“This is... amazing.” He felt as if he couldn’t bring the words out, and forcing them out was a struggle.A Valentine that had heard him, an older, fat woman, wandered over to him, using her cane to help her over.“Are you new here, youngster?” She smiled, her ball-joints (much like Idas and his siblings) folding carefully.“Uh, Yes. You could say that? I usually come for tea with Evelyn... this is all new to me.”“And how is it?”“Beautiful!” His voice held no hesitation now, and he looked over when she chuckled.“We should hope it’s beautiful. A ball is going to be held here in three days time.” She used her cane to lean on it as she carefully dug within her purse, pulling a small paper out, “here you are. Read this.”He took the paper, thanking the old woman for the paper. He read through the gilded paper quickly.
We, the Valentine family, welcome you to our palace much later than usual, for a very important event within the life of our youngest child, Ida; his bonding ceremony!
On this date, Ida will allow the Tree, which brings us such love, peace, and unity, full control over finding the one whom he will remain bonded with for now til the end.
We hope that you will accept our offer, for both the party and the after party.
We also extend an invitation, from now til the end, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which shall be prepared by someone new every day.
Jack was a bit confused, looking to the older woman, who’s black eyes shone."What’s a Bonding Ceremony?” Jacks thumb ran over the words again, frowning.“Ah, the Bonding Ceremony. It’s that special moment in a Cupids young life that they find the one they shall live with for the rest of their lives.”Jack grimaced. “So the Tree decides which person you get to tolerate for the rest of your life?”“Oh, it doesn’t have to be a person, hun.” She chuckled again. “There’s been more than one occasion where the Cupid has been bonded with a pet, or with a device they find has sentimental value to them.”“Did you know anyone like that?” Jacks confusion was lessening, growing intrigued.“Oh, plenty! My mother bonded to her cat. My sister was bonded to her son after he was born, and she raised him with a firm grip. He grew into an exemplary young man, bonding with a wonderful wife.”“So it’s not always romantic?” Jack lifted his head, looking over the crowd of Cupids.The old woman scoffed. “It’s never about Romance, sunny. That’s Roman's job.”The two shared a laugh.“In reality, you find that a best friend is much more important than a romantic partner. That’s why, when you choose said romantic partner, you choose your best friend. A romantic bond is no good if you hate one another.”“Is it possible to bond to someone outside of the Cupid circle?”"You have many questions - that’s a good thing.” The old woman stretched a bit, before looking over at the large oak doors, seeing the Valentine family walk in and begin to mingle. “Yes, it’s very common actually.”Jack spotted Ida, who was now dressed in a gold vest with his usual black pants and boots. The young Valentine was chatting with a young woman who wore a similar shade of gold, although she seemed to be a baker, judging from the flour on her apron.
“Are they like a royal family? In the human world, monarchies are a rare breed now.” In reality, Jack wanted to change the topic.
“Oh, no. This couldn’t really be considered a monarchy, you could say.”
“No?” Jack looked over at the old woman, shock evident.
“No. The Valentine family is one of a handful of families that exists to protect us. They constantly use their differences from the usual Cupid to protect us from outside forces, such as the Vil, and ensure that our life is not disturbed by smaller, more boring details.”
“Wow. That really is different from monarchies in the human world.”
“But of course. Humans don’t love each other as much as Cupids love each other. We’re a tight knit community here.”
There was a moment of silence as Jack listened to the music, taking a deep breath.
“I wish I were apart of this community.”
“Well, you never know, hun.”
The old woman started hobbling away, moving over to a group of small children, all of whom were ball-jointed. Jack remained standing in the corner, staring at the scene before him. Despite his solitude in the corner, he didn’t feel alone.
He felt warm and welcomed.
Another glance at Ida made him feel a bit mischievous, and he pushed himself off the wall. Ida hadn't been expecting him. He had his back turned, Evelyn not too far from Ida, easily in hearing distance. Jack rounded his side, grasping Ida's hand, startling him.
“So, what’s this about a Bonding Ceremony?” Jacks tone was coy.
“None of your business.” Ida snatched his hand back, clearly upset. “Are you suicidal?! You left my room by yourself! The Tree could have killed you!”
“Ah, the key word here is could. Now c'mon, Ida. I won’t be against asking your mother for an invitation.”
Ida frowned, his eye twitching as he weighed his options. Either have his mother embarrass him by loudly inviting Jack, or have himself give Jack an invitation. His lip curled down, but he dug out an invitation and shoved it into Jack's outstretched hands.
“Just be quiet and don’t make a scene.” He growled.
It could have been the lighting, but Jack could have sworn he saw the dusting of blush on Idas cheeks.
“Oh, but of course Princey.”
“Fr-“
“Oh, would you look at the time.” Jack beamed. “I have to go to the North Pole.”
“We’re not done, Frost!” Ida tried to grab at Jacks shirt, but Jack danced out of range.
“You can keep my hoodie for now- I’ll be back tomorrow!” He said this cheerily, leaving the room quickly after.
Ida was left shocked, nervous, and horrified. Evelyn had heard Ida's side, and smiled down at her son.
“Aw, is my sweet boy inviting his friends to his bonding ceremony?”
“Mother. Please.”
With that, he rushed out of the room, tail swishing in agitation, glancing for balconies that he could take a breather on.
What had he gotten himself into?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A/N: As we go along, I hope to make Idas character development go along smoothly, not just… abrupt.
The second chapter didn’t count because he was asleep.
In this Tree, there were flowers wherever you looked. It wasn’t just that they simply grew from the Tree; It was the fact that when the Tree became injured in some way, the Cupids best response was to plant flowers and vegetables and fruits there. They found that this worked during the time of Amadeus, who was always running around trying to make the Tree like him (spoiler, the Tree adored him, and mourned over his passing the longest).Now Roman, Ida's oldest brother, tended to these plants, letting his children help him whenever they were visiting from their mother.The party behind Ida began to fade, growing quiet as he rounded a corner and began taking steps up a winding staircase.“It’s not fair,” he said as he slid a hand over the banister. “He knew Mother was right there, so he just- ugh!”The Tree gave a sympathetic creak, which made Ida sigh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be unloading my burdens into you.” He listened for some form of communication, but it seemed that the Tree was distracted. Ida decided to keep going up the stairs; after all, his favorite balcony area was coming up, and he would like to spend some time alone.Before he touched the handle of the door, the Tree gave him a warning that there was someone there.“Do you know who?” Ida looked up at the curved ceiling, where multiple roots of the Tree grew. She remained silent. “Thank you anyway.” He nodded, opening the door and stepping out into the fresh air.From this height, Ida could see the entirety of Valentines Village. It’s why it was his favorite spot, after all. Being able to peer down into the streets without anyone spotting you was a great way to pass the time if you wished to be alone, but not sit in silence.His Mother told him before that his many-greats grandmother, Juliet, used to spend much of her time here, just before being bonded and running away until the passing of her father. The person who occupied the area now was Roman, Idas oldest brother.“Roman? I didn’t expect to see you here! I thought you were at Halloweentown.” Ida rushed over and hugged his brother, getting one in return that nearly cracked his back. The two laughed as Ida let out a wheeze and Roman set him down.“Things came up, and the Tree needed me to take a look at some of our roses.” Roman motioned to his tools with a large hedge clipper, towards the large rose bush that grew there. Ida walked over to the roses, kneeling down. “What’s wrong with them?”“Nothing too big. They honestly just need a bit of rain and some pruning and they’ll be good as new.”Roman folded his arms over his chest as he explained, a bit of pride in his voice as he spoke.“They’re not going to change colors again?” Ida smirked, laughing as he danced out of reach from Roman's hand, which was trying to smack him.“That was one time; I can list plenty of times you’ve messed up!”“Sure you can.”“Ida-““Okay, okay. Let’s not fight. I’ve done enough of that today. And I’m sure I’m still recovering from the high blood pressure that I’ve gotten from it.” Ida motioned for Roman to ‘calm down’, brushing his hair back from his face. Roman raised a brow, grabbing Ida's arm and pinching Idas arm. Indeed, the area that the blood ran to stayed raised for a good thirty seconds before returning to normal. Consider a pop bottle- when shaken, the pressure remains until opened. A similar event occurs with the Cupids. Cupids were vastly different from humans - they had no organs, their blood contained their memories, and they were carved from Tree herself. They were a special bunch indeed.“Who were you fighting with? I thought you got along with everyone. ” Roman sat on the bench that swayed in the breeze, grabbing onto the chain. Ida chose to do the same, rolling his eyes and laying his legs across Romans in order to trap him. “Jack fucking Frost.”“Ah, of course. How could I forget my brothers poor, poor, ruined Valentines Day-““He was so damn rude, Roman!” Ida smacked his arm, earning one in return.“How?” the older man chuckled, watching as Ida folded his arms and grew huffy with him. “I can’t imagine him being purposefully rude to you.”“Oh, bull! First, he comes and visits for tea. Tea with Mother!”“Was Mum there?”“Yes, she always has tea with Mother, you know this.”“Just clarifying.” Roman smirked, swinging their bench slowly.“He then, like an idiot, tries to leave, despite the Tree being in her ‘murder everyone I don’t know’ stage.”“Oh, how dare he. I imagine you let him walk?”Ida rubbed the bridge of his nose. “No. If I did, everyone would hate me for letting a Guardian get killed!”“That doesn’t seem right. We’re on a contract with the Guardians that we won’t interfere with their business if they won’t interfere with ours.” He was very confused, deciding to gently pat his brothers leg, seeing how agitated the younger was getting. “We do, but I can’t just let the Tree murder him.”Roman gave a chuckle, making Ida practically bristle up in anger. “What are you laughing at?”“Well…. i think your habit of caring for others is getting in the way of actually hating Frost.”Ida opened his mouth, closed it again, took a deep breath, and considered his words.“Kinda?... I hate him, that much I know, I just.” Ida rubbed his eyes, sighing. “I can’t let him die, I’d be no better than Heartbreak.”“You’re nothing like Heartbreak, dude. If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you don’t like the thought of people being sad if you’re the cause of it.”“I know!” Ida turned a bit pink, fiddling with the tailcoats of his vest. “I just hate how smug he seemed just now!”“What did he do now?” Roman shoved Idas legs off, standing up to tend to the Trees flowers.“He got me cornered and basically demanded an invitation to my Bonding Ceremony!” Ida glared at his coattails, pretending that they were the cause of his misfortune.“Well-“ Roman tsked, considering his next words carefully. “The Ceremony is going to be rather large. Many people will be there. Honestly, I don’t see it as an issue. If anything, he might leave you alone again after this.”Ida remained silent, considering his next move. Yes, he could throw a fit about it, but honestly, what was the point?No one would take him seriously, especially considering the reason he’d come to hate the spirit.Or at least, the reason he’d told everyone. It was so easy, simplifying the story, but it made him seem like he couldn’t handle the smallest of things.Finally, he sighed, “alright.”“Alright?” His brother smirked, cutting off a piece of the roses. “I won’t be against the idea, but I certainly won’t be happy about it.”“I’m sure.”“I’ll complain all the time.” He warned. “Every time I see you.”“I’m sure you will.” Roman hummed, taking up a watering pail and carefully running it over the roses. “You’re not even listening to me.” Ida said this deadpan, his eyes falling half-mast as he sat up.“I am indeed not listening anymore.” Roman chuckled.“Why not?” Ida folded his arms, glaring at his brothers back. “I’m the baby of the family, you should respect me more.”They both almost laughed, but kept a straight face.“Well, I’m waiting for you to realize that you still need to go do your chores before you plan for said bonding ceremony.”Idas eyes grew wide, and he let out a string of curses as he jolted from the swinging seat.Roman finally laughed as he heard the balcony door slam.Ida hurried down the hallway, making the necessary turns as he ran down his list of chores.Clean the spring, get his laundry, put it away, then go help the villagers with their issues that they needed help with.It shouldn’t take more than a few hours, Ida considered, but nonetheless, he wanted to be able to get them done on time.Of course, he considered his first chore to be the most important…. The cleaning supplies, a rag and a pail, rested in his hand.The hallways were becoming darker, and the light began to fade away, replacing itself with a soft, pink glow.Ida felt the familiar feeling of fear latch into his chest.He’d always hated cleaning the spring; he had ever since he was a child.His mothers had told him that he wasn’t the only one, that it was usually aggressive towards cleaning- or, really anything that was unrelated to healing others. His pace slowed, his free hand beginning to run along the wall. It began to change from marble to wood, quickly becoming a wall of twisted roots and vines.The Tree remained deadly quiet, allowing Ida to relax his nerves as he approached the door to the spring. He gently touched the familiar gold doorknob, gripping it after a brief moment.He opened the door, hearing the soft creak that refused to let itself be fixed. The spring was large and alive.It's said that the healing pond was formed by his many great-grandmothers Dove, when she passed away. Her blood drained into a nearby pond, and formed the spring as the magic blood and water mixed. That would explain so much, in Ida's opinion.It held a substance that was a pale rose color. It shimmered with gold flecks, showing that the spring was moving in circles, a never ending current flowing through it with no source.Ida felt as if his knees were going to knock together if he kept standing at the door. He took a deep breath, straightening his back and heading towards the spring.“Alright. We do this every week… just let me give you a proper cleaning today, please?”The springs current increased, waves splashing angrily against the edges. “You know it’s good for you, a-and I’m not taking no for an answer!” Ida bit back the whimper he had as he grabbed his rag and waded into the spring.He almost immediately went under, the spring angrily trying to redirect him to the exit. He quickly grabbed the edge, holding on tightly as he produced the rag from his pocket.“Alright, lets get this over with…”It took two hours just to get the spring clean. It fought against Ida at every change it got, and more than once, Ida ended up soaked from head to toe, withholding fury at the spring.Now he stood triumphantly on the edge of the spring, still wet but proud nonetheless.“See, was that so horrible?” He went over to the closet that held towels, rags, soaps, salts, and everything one could wish for in a bathroom. Pulling out a towel, he dried himself off, knowing he shouldn’t bother with his clothes. That was something he’d have to deal with in his room.“Now I’m gonna go take a bath. Something that appreciates being cleaned!”The spring merely gave a gurgle, letting Ida whirl around with a flick of his tail and storming out.The Cupid walked along the halls, feeling relieved as he stepped back into the bright corridors. The oppressive air fell away, allowing Idas posture to become better.The windows he passed faced the gardens down below. He gave a brief smile, reaching the door to his room. He happily walked into it, immediately yanking off vest and shirt, allowing them to fall to the floor and kicking them over to his hamper.Now that he was alone, he began to speak out loud to himself, his mind drifting back to a more important matter than the cleaning of the spring; his Bonding Ball.It went by so many names that he gave up on calling it anything other than his Bonding Moment to friends and family.He knew his mothers called it a Bonding Gala, while his twin called it a Bonding Cycle. His hands massaged his scalp as he moved to the dresser, glancing into the mirror before he snatched his hairbrush and tried to comb out the knots that had entwined themselves into his hair. “Okay, okay. So. Wardrobe will of course have a vest.” He said this as he puffed out his chest, then smirked as he passed by the mirror, setting his brush down.He kicked a towel up and snatched it from the air. “Gold will be the colors this time. Gold and white, maybe. I’ll have to be careful around the red wine.” He laughed to himself. He then pulled a face. “But Frost will be there too. So I should-“ he paused, eyes going wide as he turned his head to stare at the hoodie that had been laundered. The blue hoodie still had the frost lacing the edges, somehow. Fainter, yes, but still there. It was folded neatly, and perched on the edge of his bed, along with his other clean clothes. He frowned, going over and picking it up.The hoodie unfurled, showing Ida that it was a size bigger than him. The sleeves were large and puffy, much like the style of shirts that Ida liked to wear. The fabric, in Idas hands, was smooth and felt warm, even without wearing it. He ran his thumb over a frosted part of the hoodie, and was unsurprised when he felt the shock of cold that came with it.The hood wasn’t as large as the sleeves, but considering how little Ida had seen Jack wear the hood (ignoring the fact that Ida hadn’t seen Jack in quite a bit of time, which he enjoyed) wasn’t a huge issue.The bottom of the hoodie, when compared to Idas torso, fell to his upper thigh. Ida realized that he’d been staring at the hoodie in his hands for quite a while, and turned a soft pink. He went to his wardrobe and grabbed a hanger, putting the hoodie onto it and stuffing it back into the wardrobe.He slammed the doors closed and hurried himself over to the bathroom, quickly snatching a different shirt and vest. “It’s a nice hoodie, but the person it belongs to is a pain.” He gritted his teeth, picking up a toothbrush and toothpaste as he made his way to the bath. Jack slowly twirled his staff, the wood tapping him ever so slightly as it came back around.He rested atop an abandoned castle, the once-grand structure now in ruins. For reasons unknown to him, he felt annoyance with the debris of what one were riches. He did feel a bit better about the ruins, however, and being able to perch atop them and stare down at the destruction. Their meaning.He shook his head and lifted his face to view the courtyard below. The Villagers were happily chatting with one another, showing love and affection at every turn.It almost made him feel as if he were missing out on some fun.Upon landing onto the ground, he was greeted by several villagers, all of whom seemed happy to see him.“A nice party going on here! What’s the special occasion?” He already knew, of course. He’d just been invited to it.“We’re making this area nice so that we can host a festival!” A small child beamed up at Jack, and he couldn’t help but notice that she had pink hair.A quick glance around revealed that many of the villagers had strangely-colored hair, the most common being white or downright solid red.“What kind of festival? Can you tell me what it’s like?”The child was more than happy to talk his ear off, going on about how they would be having baked goods, dressing up, how there’d be dancing and fun. “This sounds amazing!” He overreacted first her entertainment. “What kinda food is there gonna be?”“Well,” the small child continued, Jack helping her move a rather heavy-looking basket of seeds over to an empty field. “There’s gonna be scones, and donuts, and noodles, chocolate cake and strawberries, and Idas favorite!”“Ida's favorite?” He chuckled, watching the little girl crouch as she dug a hole with her little trowel, then covering the seed with dirt and patting it down.Jack had the feeling that he did something similar in his life before being Jack afraid."He really likes red velvet cupcakes." She said sweetly, looking up at Jack. "Momma makes them for him every time she hears he's coming over.""You mean to tell me your mom is happy to see him?" Jack tilted his head, a smile appearing on his face.“Well he protects us, just like his ancestors did, and just like his mommas do. We wanna thank him.”Now Jack took note of something he hadn’t before- what was Ida protecting these villagers from?“Can you tell me why he needs to protect you?” He used his staff as a thing to lean on.“Ya notice how I gots these lines on my fingers?” She lifted her hands to show him, watching him nod slowly.“Those are my joints. They’re like a human dolls, kinda.”“Okay, so you’re a precious resource to something?”She nodded her head. “Kinda? At least, Momma says we're 'sought after'." "How so?""It's our blood. It can heal people; we used to heal people in the past, but Momma says they got mean about it, so we don't do that anymore. But they got real mad about it, so here we are." They were almost done planting the field, the little girl continuing to drop a seed into the ground before patting it down with her trowel. “Ya notice how Ida's kinda like us?”“Yeah, but he’s more dragon-like. And I heard about Juliet.”“Yeah. His skin is tougher than ours is because of that, so he goes off and fights the Vil for us to protect our blood."“But he could still get broken?”The young Cupid shrugged, only a few seeds remaining. "With the right tools, sure."Jack felt as if the situation was familiar, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it."But he protects you anyway, despite the danger. Why do you think that is?"“Well, he wants to.” She shrugged. “I tried asking him, too, and he just looked at me for a while before sayin not to worry about it.”“He didn’t answer your question.” Jack snickered.“I know!” The little girl puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. “But that’s all he’d say. I guess he wants to, but if he stops one day, we won’t be mad. His brother did it so he could be with his kids.”“And what exactly is the 'Vil'?"“They're our enemies. I've never seen one myself, but my papa said that they're a bunch of mean people that come around and try to steal villagers. They take them away and never come back…”The little girls eyes became downcast, and for a brief moment, Jack could see his little sister. His mouth thinned into a line as he knelt in front of her.“Did… someone vanish?”She nodded again, looking up at him. “My sister… she was out collecting and then… Ida came flying by. I though it was for something else, but then his moms and his sisters came around too…. and before I knew it-“ She began openly sobbing, pressing her apron to her eyes, and Jack felt guilty for having pushed. He set Twiner down as he pulled her into a hug, the little girl giving it her all as she sobbed into his shoulder.He picked up Twiner again and went back to the village, finding her mother and apologizing for upsetting her.“It’s okay.” The woman was older, signs of grey showing in her hair. She patted his shoulder. “You couldn’t have known, and we Cupids, well… we hold onto feelings. We feel them much more than humans did.”He didn’t bother to correct her that he wasn’t human anymore, instead watching as she wandered to her husband. The two retreated to their home, leaving Jack to stand in the square and wish he could help in some way.The other villagers bustled around, chatting about news and people. A hot topic was the Bonding Ball that was going to occur in ‘just three nights time’!Jack gave a brief shiver, the wind beginning to pick up and usher him towards the other activities that were nearby.He chuckled a bit and allowed himself to be pushed.After all, he had a few days to kill before he’d need to get ready for the ball.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Cupid, as large a woman she was, was very quiet when she wanted to be.How Jack had found this out was a story in its own right. For now, he was surprised to find that Cupid had come to get him the very next day after Ida had invited Jack to the Bonding Ceremony. Jack had been focused on creating a perfect snowball fight, very similar to that of the snowball fight he had sparked when he'd first seen Jamie. The sudden lack of sun had alerted him to the fact that something was off and he should turn around. In doing so, he was greeted with the sight of Evelyn, who was waiting patiently, a soft smile on her face as she watched the children squeal in glee as they played. "You did this?" she motioned to the children, with Jack smiling and nodding. "Pretty neat, huh?" he settled back, watching the kids aim for headshots. "I wish I could do this.""Can't you?""Not really," she folded her hands together. "I'm more focused on the people who have fallen in love for years, making sure they're happy.""Hey, that's still important after everything." Jack nudged her shoulder, giving her a smile. She chuckled, nudging him back. "True, true. However, I was wondering if you had a few moments to spare?""Depends on how many moments you need." He stood up and twirled his staff. "Well, I need to speak to you and Ida. Together, please, if you wouldn't mind."Jack nodded, "Sure thing. I'm always free; besides, the kids are clearly happy. I'm sure they can entertain themselves for a few more hours."Evelyn beamed, nodding excitedly. "I'm sure you're going to love what I'm going to talk to you two about!""It must be important for you to come all the way down here to come get me," He smiled, straightening up."Oh, please, dear. Coming down here was almost nothing compared to the rounds I do daily." Evelyn laughed, the kids not hearing her due to her not being seen by them.It had honestly thrown Jack for a loop when he'd learned that the Cupids didn't run on the same belief system that Jack and the Guardians did. He'd honestly felt a bit sad and remorseful when he'd seen the kids run through Evelyn until she had explained that no, she didn't quite need the belief of kids to exist - she needed adults to remember the feeling of love - she was fine. The two beings flew over the vast lands, clouds flying by them. More than once, Jack had almost flown into some birds, catching himself at the last minute before he'd hear Evelyn's laughter. The sight of Valentine's was a welcome one. The warm glow, lights that were strung up between and down streets. The tall buildings, the trees that flourished everywhere that Jack looked. It was all so beautiful. Evelyn landed softly on the balcony attatched to the Tree, scattering bits of snow in her wake. Jack couldn't help but think of Katherine's own treehouse, of her and her multitudes of books and stories. "This way. He's waiting in the tea room."Despite the overwhelming feeling that Jack already knew who it was, he glanced over at Evelyn as they wandered down the hallway. "Ida?" "Of course. He's the only one having a Bonding Ceremony." The walk was quick, the empty doorway opening into the room that Ida currently resided in. Upon hearing the two enter, Ida turned his head to face the duo, placing the small book of songs on the table in front of him. His lip curled a bit when he saw Jack. Jack waved, and under Evelyn's watchful eye, Ida waved back. "Sit! Sit! We have a bit to discuss, and I don't want to take up too much of your time.""Mother, you could never take too much of my time," Ida stated, taking hold of the tea cup's handle and lifting the rim to his lips."It's not like I'm doing much anyways, today. The kids are already taken care of," Jack admired the selection of cookies on the silver tray before he chose one with a beautiful design on it. It was almost too pretty to eat. The key word is almost.Jack quickly took refuge on the other end of the loveseat that Ida sat on - despite the large Valentine family, there was only two couches in the room. One for Evelyn and one for any other family members that decided to join her for tea that day. Since the family was also very close, and were very generous with giving out affection, sharing a couch wasn't viewed as 'odd'.Ida scooted himself over to the complete end of the couch, shoving one of Jack's feet away from him before returning to his tea. Jack could've sworn he almost saw a smile on the younger Valentine's face. Even Evelyn noticed, but if she had, she was keeping her secrets. "I overheard last night that you extended an invitation to Jack, Ida!" the 10 ft woman stirred two sugars into her drink, a coy smile on her face.Ida earned a tinge of pink on his face, looking down at his drink, his eyes darting over to Jack, who was happily enjoying another cookie and getting crumbs onto both himself and the couch. Neither of the Valentines minded; they'd clean it up later, and they weren't going to yell at Jack for something so stupid. "I did, after he talked to me about how the other Villagers' were excited for the Ceremony." At this, Evelyn's hand stilled, and she glanced between the two. "You weren't going to invite him beforehand?""Well... no... Mother, he's likely a busy person, he won't be able to take half a day off from his responsibilities just to attend a silly Bonding Ceremony.""Actually, I'm free for the next few days. A Ceremony sounds fun," Yet another cookie was taken off the tray and consumed, but that was the least of Ida's issues. The young Cupid briefly considered that the winter sprite was taking joy in his discomfort and embarrassment. "Ida.." Evelyn sighed, but then shook her head. "Despite that... I need you two to get along. It's your big day, Ida, and I know you and Jack haven't exactly gotten along these past few decades."The pink tint of Ida's face now turned to red. It seems he hadn't been as sneaky about his dislike of Frost as much as he thought he had been. "I promise I'll get along, Mother. I won't let the Ceremony be ruined by any foul moods.""I'll try and make friends with your son before the end of the Ceremony." Jack winked over at her, making her chuckle. "I understand that Ida is... not the best to get along with. I was just like him when I was younger. Always angry, wanting to hold grudges..." another soft chuckle.Ida took another sip, using the cup to hide his frown. He couldn't explain it, but he just couldn't feel the absolute fury he'd felt even a few days ago. Even when his mother and Jack seemed to be teasing and mocking him, he couldn't bring up the rage that had been so easy to bring back just a few days ago.Maybe it was the sharing of a bed? That was silly... he'd shared his bed with his siblings before, but that didn't mean that he would just change his feelings on a whim; especially when it came to people like Frost. Ida had been so lost in thought that he didn't pay attention to the conversation until toward the end of it. "... vent is somewhat formal, Jack. Are you sure you'll be able to handle that? I can see that your sweater has been missing for a little bit, but I know you're a casual guy at heart.""I'm sure. And I know where my sweater is; someone's just holding onto it for a bit."Evelyn couldn't see it, but Ida's face grew a tad more red, quickly gulping down the rest of his tea. "Hopefully they'll take care of your beloved sweater for however long they have it." Her expression was bright, but grew serious once again. "Would you like to come with me to find you something to wear for that night? We have a tailors shop. No random, baggy suit for you.""Sure! New clothes would be a great change." Jack sat up, getting another cookie. At this point, half the plate was gone. Again, neither Valentine cared - they weren't eating it. At least they were going to someone who would actually enjoy them. "I'm excited to shop with you! You've always had to go do something else when I offered before." "Yeah, I had a couple of things to clear up before I could spend any time with you. As much as I love tea, cookies, and glaring dragons-" Ida kicked Jack's ankle when Evelyn turned her head to grab a cookie, "I couldn't push off the other stuff. Now I'm a Guardian, though, so I can take care of my stuff and then come back to hang out with you.""I'm so happy for you. Ida, will you be attending our little shopping spree?"Ida shook his head. "Sorry, Mother. I promised Adi that we would go shopping on our own. Maybe we'll see each other while we're out and about.""Oh, alright. I hope you can find something that you'd enjoy." she nodded, smiling as the conversation came to a lull.Ida and Evelyn stood, Ida gathering all the dirty dishes (including the now-empty cookie plate) and Evelyn swept up the crumbs. Jack tried to intervene."Can't I help? I'm the one that made the crumbs."Evelyn was a bit shocked. "Oh, usually we tell guests to sit and look pretty." she gave an airy laugh, Ida doing so as well. They really were the definition of 'like mother, like son'. "I suppose you can wipe down the table."She handed him a rag from a small cupboard, and Jack helped clean up his mess, ensuring that he didn't miss anything. Wiping down the table, he noted that the sun was high in the sky, and that everything was bright. The time seemed to be slipping by here. Come to think of it, anytime he hung out in the Valentine's Village, he felt at peace. At home... if he was bold enough, he'd dare to say that he felt at home, similar to how he felt whenever he was with the other Guardians. Before anyone knew it, everything was cleaned up and back in order. "Thank you for all your help, Jack.""Yeah, thanks." Ida mentioned offhandedly, putting the broom back in the closet. "It wasn't such a big deal. I wanted to help out."As Ida exited the room to put the broom and rags away, Evelyn gently grasped Jack's wrist. The rush of familiarity made him stop, turning to stare at the tall woman."I need you to either be honest with your words or your heart, Jack. You can't do both if you're lying, either to yourself or to others."With that, she took her leave, heading out the room with the dirty dishes. Jack stood in the middle of the room, holding onto Twiner. His grip tightened, either out of nervousness or the sour taste in his mouth, he wasn't sure. For years, Evelyn has been his friend. Long before she even had kids, she'd been the sweetest person. Hell, Jack thought he'd had a crush on her before she told him, laughingly, that he was just a good friend, and he was feeling a type of love that wasn't romantic in any sense. Now, Evelyn was telling him he was lying to himself. That he was lying to others.He wasn’t sure what she meant by that.When Ida returned from his small trip, Jack was lost in thought, blankly staring at the wall as he finally began to loosen his grip on the staff. A small knock on the door from Ida brought him back to reality. "Mother says she'll wait for you in the carriage.""Oh, thanks. Enjoy your own trip." Jack hefted the staff over his shoulder. Ida didn't give an exact reply, but he nodded. Jack would consider that progress - before, Ida used to just blatantly ignore him. It seemed that now that they'd had some bonding time together (under the threat of a murderous tree), they were stepping in the direction of maybe even being friends. Jack adjusted his shirt, feeling at a small loss without his sweater.As he began to head out the door, he heard a very soft, "Enjoy your trip as well."He couldn't stop the grin spreading on his face, heading outside to where Evelyn waited with the carriage. The shopping district of Valentine's was rather large, in comparison to its population. The main four roads leading to the center of the village consisted of different stores, many of them either being clothes, jewelry, candy or flowers - whatever you needed to gift to a lover, a friend, family, was all there in neat rows. The one Jack always found to be the most interesting were the shops that sold medicine. Evelyn apparently swore by them, saying they'd saved her life on more than one occasion when her kids were sick.Even if they didn't work, they were damnably pretty.Gemstones that sparkled when they were rattled, shakers full of powder that vanished into thin air as soon as it left its container, snow that would melt and ease headaches when slapped onto an unfortunate victims head. All of these things entranced Jack, but he was never allowed to touch them. "You're not a Cupid, Jack. What if they killed you?"Evelyn had said this to him when they were younger - nearly 162 years ago, he realized. They were both the same people as back then, but were complete strangers to their naïve and young selves. He could almost hear the excited giggles of a young Evelyn, showing him around Valentine's as she explained her history to the young winter sprite. "The tailors shop isn't too far from here." mused the same girl, all grown up. "Just a couple more shops and we should be right on their door.""Are you sure I'll look good in a suit?" teased Jack, plucking the collar of his shirt, the blond woman snorting immediately."Oh, Venus no. You're going to look atrocious. That, or we'll be blessed with such an image."Jack gave an offended gasp, twirling his staff so that he could gently smack it to the ground. "How. Dare. You. I remember praising you when you tried on that dress all those years ago!""That was different." she waved her hand dismissively, the two continually teasing each other as they walked. They finally arrived at the tailors shop, the sign glowing to signify it was open. All these years, and Jack still wasn't sure how they made a wooden sign glow. The door jingled as they entered the store, the sunlight vanishing as curtains blocked it. A Cupid, likely half asleep at the desk, jolted up as they spotted the duo. "Mrs. Evelyn! Mr... uh..""Jack, Jack Frost." Jack held out his hand, the Cupid shaking his hand excitedly."My name is Thimble! Or Tim, if you'd prefer. But that's boring. Anyhow, how can I help you both today?" the Cupid tilted their head, looking from one to another. "We're here to get Jack a nice new suit for the Bonding Ceremony." Evelyn stepped in once Jack proved to be a bit unsure of what to say to such a question."You're not leaving me with a lot of time here, are you, dear?""I'm sorry." She sighed, looking down. "It's been so hectic, and Jack only got invited last night. It was the best we could do at the moment.""Worry not, ma'am. I can whip up a wonderful suit that suit's-" the tailor laughed at their own joke. "Jack's personality. And it'll make him stand out from the rest of the Cupids. Although, I will assume he will stand out on his own anyhow, considering he isn't a Cupid at all!"Thimble's piercing eyes made Jack a bit uneasy. It was almost as if he was being sized up, judged. After a moment's consideration, Thimble turned around, hurrying to the back and motioning for them to follow. Considering they were almost hip height, it was a bit of a struggle in the darkened store."I noticed that you have a lovely frost pattern along your shirt, sir!" Jack was about to correct Thimble and tell them that it was a sweater, but he remembered that Ida had the sweater now, and would likely have it until after the Ceremony was over. He actually was wearing his shirt, he'd just had it slip his mind. He felt, briefly, a twinge of yearning for the sweater. He'd gotten quite attached to it over the years, so to not have it there made him antsy. "Uh, yeah, there is. It's actual frost, though. Not just a pattern."Thimble paused, turning and looking Jack up and down once more. "Wow, that's... honestly amazing! I hope you won't mind if I incorporate it into my idea?""Oh, no, not at all. Let the creativity flow."Evelyn elbowed him, and he returned it, both smiling as they went further into the store. More light vanished, and soon the group was surrounded by designs, fabrics, tools. Jack felt as if he was missing something every time he was turning his head - there was just that much stuff in this small store. He also almost tripped on a yarn basket, so he wasn't sure where to put his focus - on the collection of items on the walls and ceiling, or watching his feet and dodging whatever came his way. There were shiny jewelry pieces, metallic colored threads, fabric that looked extremely light and fluffy, an overly large pin that stood in the corner. He didn't even need to glance at Evelyn to know that that pin had stabbed her more than once.Thimble was quick, soon dropping them off at a dressing area. With a quick fwip, the tailor pulled out a tape measure from their sleeve and motioned for Jack to stand on the small pedestal that stood in the middle of the room. "If you'd please; I need to get your measurements."Jack handed Evelyn Twiner, although very hesitantly, stepping up onto the platform. "Arms up please."As he lifted his arms, he felt the Cupid quickly taking measurements, writing them down on the clipboard that they now carried with them. Chest, waist, wrists, biceps, leg length, the whole works. Their movements were so quick that Jack could feel a soft touch on his arm and look to see Thimble measuring his waist already. It was the strangest experience Jack had had in a long while.He felt a little silly, if he was being honest. "You're not very tall, are you? 5'9 isn't very comparable to most of the Cupids here." "Hey!"Evelyn and Thimble laughed, the tailor ducking into a separate area and returning with a large book. Apparently, this was a book of suit styles that one could choose from."We do offer custom, but this is for when you have no idea what to pick. Just choose three that you really like, and we can go through your choices when you've made them."Jack took the book, admiring the gilded pages and the ornate book cover. He thumbed through the pages, Evelyn peering over his shoulder and pointing out ones that he may look good in. The design they finally settled on was one that had stunned the both of them the moment that they laid eyes on it. "This one... " Jack tapped the page with his finger, eyes flickering up to the tailor. "I really like this one.""That's a lovely choice. A classic 1700's suit design."Jack gave a brief, sad smile. Neither Evelyn nor Thimble caught the sadness behind the smile, so they both chatted happily about how they could incorporate the frost into the suit that Jack had chosen. Jack considered speaking up while they talked, but the sorrow he felt burning within him wired his jaw shut. No words could escape, and for a brief moment, he felt very lonely. So for now, he watched his friend and the tailor talk, watched them take a pen and make points on the suit on where the frost could be.Why was he so upset? It was just a suit, and it wasn't like it was an extremely important one, at that. The sadness welled up in him more, and he realized just why he felt so lonely, so upset at seeing the suit.His father had worn one very similar to it, before he'd disappeared in the war. "Jack?"Evelyn had put her hand on his shoulder, and Thimble was looking at them from their spot at the desk, writing something down. Evelyn had knelt by him, concern etched onto her face - once a mother, always a mother, he supposed. "What's wrong? I know that look..""It's nothing." Even he could hear the rasp of his voice, and he couldn't meet her eyes, but she gave his shoulder a soft squeeze before she drew herself up."If you say so, hun... just know I'm here."He smiled, giving a nod. "I know.""We're all finished up here. We can go back to the market and get you something nice, if you'd like. Some ribbons, candy, maybe?""That sounds lovely, Eve." He was handed Twiner back, which made him feel a bit better. Evelyn finished the transaction up, despite Jack telling her that she didn't need to pay for him, that he really wasn't worth that much. She brushed him off nonetheless, already moving out the door and hooking the back of Jack's shirt with her finger in order to move him along out of the shop. Both called out a goodbye as they exited the small shop. Since it was now past noon, the sun - while being high in the sky- was past its prime. It shone over the Village, showing off the faces of the villagers that bustled about, buying trinkets and candies. "I heard there was a lovely new candy store open." Evelyn claimed, cheerfully."Really?" Jack felt his mood brighten, bit by bit, now that he wasn't staring at the suit that gave him such harsh memories."Indeed. I heard they have caramel, and chocolates, sour candies, and sweet ones, ones that are fairly kind on the teeth and others that aren't as generous!""Well, what are we doing, waiting around outside of a tailors shop?"The pair laughed, heading in the direction of this new candy shop. "Oh, please let me help!" Ida slid his hands under the bottom of the box, steadying the uneasy pile of similar boxes that an older Cupid had stacked in a style reminiscent of the game Jenga."I can't accept your help! This is your Bonding Ceremony!" The older gentleman pulled back at the box, but Ida refused to let go, taking another box triumphantly."Well, since it's my Bonding Ceremony, then let me help you!" the younger man gave him a smile, carrying both boxes to their necessary places. "Besides, it's not as if this is a surprise party. I already know what's going to be happening and what my decorations look like. There's not much you can hide from me!""Be that as it may, you really shouldn't have to do anything... It's supposed to be an exciting and relaxing time for you.""I'm already relaxed, and it'll make me so much happier if I can even help in some small way."After he had set the box down, he straightened himself back to his original height. He turned to face the man that had been struggling originally, and wandered back over."Besides, I had already finished up my shopping.""I can tell; your twin ran off with your bags."This Cupid was older than most, and showed it. He had a multitude of wrinkles on his face, and his eyes were beginning to lighten from the loss of his eyesight. It was rare for Cupids to be this old. A welcome sight, yes, but many Cupids would end up passing away before their first grey hair set in. It made Ida... uneasy. The Vil terrified him. They terrified everyone. "Yeah, I saw him run off as well. I'll just have to smack him over the head with the newspaper when I get home.""What do you plan to do, the day of?" The old man leaned on his cane, turning his face to where Ida's voice drifted from."Well, I was considering waking up early to get ready," Ida rubbed the back of his neck, mentally playing out the day of his Bonding Ceremony. "But the Ceremony isn't until 6 pm, and even I can't stretch getting ready out to that extent.""Have you considered showing the Frost fellow around?"The Cupid didn't notice Ida's smile vanish, replaced with a small frown. Yes, Ida's relationship with Jack was in a much better place than it had been before, but that didn't mean he was willing to consider spending a handful of hours with him to show him around. Thinking on it further, Jack was older than Ida - he knew Valentine's better than Ida did. Or he should, but who, aside from Jack, truly knew?"He was around here last night, and he was helping out the widow down the street with the decorations," the elder continued on, seeming to have a goal in mind with his kind words."I really shouldn't-" Ida lifted his hands, eyes flicking from side to side. "He's a nice young man." The other pressed, now beginning to stare at Ida. "I don't know what he was talking about when he mentioned that you weren't particularly fond of him, however.""I-""Talking some nonsense about you being upset over a couple of villages he froze over some hundred or so years ago.""He's not wrong..." Ida didn't like it when he was interrupted, and the words had burned in his throat until he couldn't anymore. "He's stupid, immature, and selfish! Those people could've died when he froze the villages over, and he doesn't even bother to apologize for doing so! I don't like him!"The outburst caught the older Cupid off guard, and caught the attention of a few others. Shame and embarrassment made Ida turn red, his gaze focusing on the white cobblestone he was standing on. The couples that had taken notice of his outburst grew bored quickly, continuing their dates. Ida hardly realized that the old man was speaking until he was mid-sentence. "-changed in the years. Nobody stays the same - not even you.""I highly doubt that.""If he was truly so terrible, and never changed, why would he help to set up a festival that honors you?" "Because he's friends with my mom?" Ida's voice was weak; even he could hear it. "I-It's not like I hate him, or anything like that.. I just.."He couldn't find the words, which he hated. The old man's eyes resting on him made him uncomfortable, especially since he still seemed to be searching for something in Ida's answer. "You're too prideful, child." the older Cupid said. "Take some advice from an old man like myself. I've live a long time, and grudges such as the one you're holding onto often hold back something wonderful. You deserve an apology, yes, but you need to give him a chance to apologize for it."Ida froze, staring at the Cupid that had effectively ended the conversation. His words had forced him to face a perspective that he never really considered before -or rather, not that he hadn't, more that he didn't want to, because he knew that he was wrong and had long ago misjudged Jack. The older gentleman stared at Ida for a moment longer before brightly thanking him for his help. After that, he walked off to join the other Cupids that were also setting up the Ceremony. Ida was left standing in the middle of the walkway, quietly clutching the hem of his shirt. He was left with so much to unpack, and he wasn't sure where to start. His feet moved of their own accord, heading to the bare trees that made the forest. Snow crunched under his feet, his breath fogged around him as he marched. He knew exactly where to go to clear his head - either that, or to let out some anger. The frozen lake stretched for miles.The moon that rose over the sky seemed far too large, much brighter than that of the moon that the humans saw. The ice that covered the deep water sparkled and seemed to shine. The frozen silence was broken by the soft sounds of ice skates. Ida wobbled carefully on the ice, clutching onto the wood of a tree that had long ago fallen into the lake. It's branches stretched to the sky, but the majority of itwas buried in the earth and offered assistance. Winter was long and cold for Valentine's, with the lake being frozen often. Ice skating was a famous pastime of Cupids, yet Ida failed to get into the hobby. The main reason?
Thud
He lost his balance, losing his grip on the branches as well and falling to the ice. Since it was so thick, it hurt to fall onto. He let out a string of curses, tears forming in his eyes. He was beyond frustrated, as this wasn't his first time coming to the lake, nor was this his first fall. He could easily be considered a veteran of falling over.He hadn't really gotten any better in this time, either. The only real progress he'd made had been that he wasn't hugging the tree for dear life and his legs no longer shook like a newborn deer. Now he was a somewhat recently born deer, and clung to a branch instead. Sitting on the ice now, tears stinging his eyes made him genuinely consider giving up the ice skating that he'd been working on. He knew it was fun - the times that he was able to glide even a few inches were exhilarating and fun, which had made him want to learn more. But right now? His head was in his hands and he felt as if the day was completely ruined. In a small fit of fury, he unlaced one of his skates and threw it across the ice. "Fuck ice skating!" his shoulders shook, but he wiped at his eyes. He hugged his knees to his chest, taking a minute to collect himself. One minute, two. Five minutes passed before he considered getting up and trying again. He loosened his grip, focusing on his tossed skate. If he crawled on his hands and knees, he could grab it and put it back on while sitting on a portion of the dead tree's trunk. Before he could, Jack appeared from nowhere. He stooped down, grabbing Ida's skate and walking over to him. Ida stared up at him in surprise before remembering his current condition. He frowned, looking away and wiping his eyes. "Do you need help...?""No. I've got this." He regretted his tone right away, and Jack could tell by the way his shoulders slumped. Jack didn't seem to take this to heart, judging from how he crouched beside Ida. Twiner rested against Jack's shoulder, pressing into his cheek as Jack leaned his face against it. "I think you need help." his voice was soft, and he eased an arm under Ida's arms. "..Yes, please. Thank you..." They managed to get Ida to the tree trunk and his skate was soon snugly back on his foot. He pulled himself into a standing position with help from the dead tree, only to wobble immediately. Jack tightening his hold to make sure he didn't fall, giving a few words of encouragement and instruction to help him manage to stay upright. "Put your feet like this.." Jack showed him the way he put his feet when he skated. Ida shakily put his feet in a similar fashion to Jack's, and was a bit surprised to find that his shakiness grew less. Jack gave a small chuckle at the surprised look."You're putting your feet in a way only professional skaters tend to put their feet. I don't know where you saw that, or where you learned it, but it's extremely difficult if you're a beginner and have no experience on how to put your balance."Ida turned red, and for a brief second, Jack thought he'd pissed him off, and braced himself for a confrontation."... the Cupid of Ice Skating..." he murmured, still clinging to Jack's shirt and arm. "Huh?""The Cupid of Ice Skating... I've been watching her since I was a little kid, and she always looked to happy and graceful, so I wanted to learn... I watched her a lotand I've been trying to copy her movements..."Ida's face was completely red from what Jack now realized was embarrassment. It explained why Ida had been trying to put his feet in a way that would've onlyworked if he was completely gliding along the ice. "Well-" he had to pause, chuckling as he came to the realization. "At least you were inspired. You just started in the wrong spot.""...how should I start?" Ida could hardly look at Jack, but he was now starting to genuinely talk to him, and was growing more comfortable with having Jack's arm around him. "Let's start with how to move forward without falling over, okay?""Okay." The next few hours was spent teaching Ida how to move in the skates. Balance was important, and Ida didn't have a lot of that. However, he did manage to get the hang of it, and was soon making small glides before quickly going back to either Jack or the Tree to grab onto it tightly, looking both excited and afraid. Neither noticed how late it was getting, as they were both focusing on making sure Ida didn't fall on his ass again. Ida quickly grew comfortable with grabbing Jack's arms or hands. "Sorry, sorry..." Ida tried to retract his hands the first time, but Jack grabbed his hands again when he almost fell over. "I'm used to grabbing friend's hands, and I haven't-""It's fine. Its fine, honestly. I don't mind. Besides, you still almost fell over." he chuckled, noticing when Ida's face turned a bit more red. "Usually people are weirded out by just how... touchy I can be, I guess." he moved forward in the skates a bit, again almost falling over when it was a bit more oomfthan he originally planned."Like I said, I don't mind. It's a bit comforting, considering the only person to really be friendly to me is your mom.""That's weird.""Oh, bold words coming from you." Jack laughed, Ida giving a small smile. "How long have you even been friends with my mom?" Ida and Jack moved along the ice slowly, making sure to keep their balance. "Well, let's see... I'd say a bit over 160 years ago. Long before you were even a thing, now that I think about it.""That's before my sister was even a thing."Ida felt a bit startled, realizing that his mom's oldest friend was someone he'd held such a fierce grudge against."We met when I came across Valentine's on accident. She was a lot shorter than she was now.""I'm sure that's true." the blonde chuckled to himself, watching his feet to make sure he didn't trip over anything on the ice. "I'd been a winter sprite for a while, over 200 years or so." he shrugged, turning to face Ida as he used his bare feet to slide along the ice. "What was it like?" Ida tilted his head, gripping Jack's wrist more when he stumbled. "Turning into a winter sprite?"Jack mulled it over."It was cold, at first. Dark. And then when I came out of the ice, and looked up - there was the moon. It made everything bright. I was both alone, but I wasn't at the same time. It was really weird, figuring that out.""That must've been terrifying." murmured the Cupid, aiming back towards the shore. "It was. For a really long time, I was afraid of everything. Evelyn just made me realize that there wasn't always fear."The two lapsed into silence, Jack helping Ida remove the skates and Ida putting his boots back on. "It's getting really late." "I didn't notice." the winter sprite chuckled, the two making their way down the dirt path that slowly turned into a gravel path."Mother must be worried." Ida rubbed his cheek, staring at the Tree and looking concerned. His home never seemed so close, but at the same time, so very far away. As they spoke, they passed through the Village. Ida noted some Cupids whispering amongst each other when they passed. A few smiled, but the overall amount of Cupids were shutting down their shops as the night progressed. The streets were falling silent, the lanterns emitting a soft glow as the darkness settled. Jack and Ida continued to speak, both forgetting that they'd both disliked each other not even a few days ago.Their topics flowed together, both linked and completely unhinged from the previous topic at the same time. Neither noticed just how much they were enjoying their conversation before they showed up at Ida's front door. Evelyn opened the door, looking at Ida with disappointment. "Young man, it is midnight! Where have you been? I didn't know where you were, and I was concerned..."Ida once more turned red. "Sorry. I was learning skating, and time slipped away...""It was my fault, too, Eve." Jack pipped up, lifting his hand.Evelyn looked over to him. "The next time you find him, please make sure he's back before midnight, or that I at least know where he is...""I will. Sorry, Evie.""Sorry, Mom...""Come on, get inside. It's time you should get to bed."Ida nodded, telling Jack, "Goodnight. Thanks." before he headed upstairs, giving his other mother a hug goodnight. Jack and Evelyn spoke a bit longer before they bid each other goodnight. Evelyn headed up the stairs, knocking on Ida's door. "Come in!" Ida was in bed, covered by a couple of blankets as he read a book."Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun, today?""Yeah. I learned how to not fall on my ass.""That's wonderful." she chuckled, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Jack helped you?""Yeah. He was alright.""I'm glad that you two are getting along. It'll help you when it comes to your Bonding Ceremony.""How?" Ida snorted."Well, for one, you won't be arguing with him.""True..""You should be getting to bed, hun. And use all your blankets, you're frozen through!"She gathered his free blankets, shoving him under them and planting a kiss on his forehead. He laughed, squirming away from all the blankets. "Goodnight, Ida.""Night, Mom. Love you.”"Love you too." She stood, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her quietly. Jack settled himself into his tree. The quiet allowed him to focus on keeping his eyes closed, to let his mind wander. Before long, he felt the sprinkles of golden sand over his eyes. He smiled softly as he felt himself relax, sinking more into the crook of the tree."Thanks, Sandy..."Ever since Jack had become a Guardian, he'd never had normal 'dreams', especially since he had regained his memories. Since he'd gotten them back, his mind would play them back. Memories of his mother, of his previous life, would begin to consume his thoughts the moment the golden sand would be sprinkled over him. His mother was a gentle and wonderful woman. The figure in his life that was solid and strong and the model he wanted to take after in his own life. The smell she carried with her was that of bluebells, as they were numerous in their area. She would always settle into a patch of these flowers and weave long chainsof them. He was always covered in these flowers, since his mother would keep him within reach and would put a small crown on his head, then his sisters head. Her presence was strong in his memories. His father wasn't quite as strong, but he was there in the corners of his mind. He remembered him being tall, much taller than him or his mother, and his gruff voice always made his mother chuckle or blush. He was well built; being a farmer would do that to a person.But after a certain point of time in his memories, his father simply stopped appearing. He was replaced with a tinge of sadness, and Jack could only guess that he had passed on around this time. No reason could be found, but the phrase, "He died a hero" appeared often. He could only guess that he had passed from a battle that had occurred sometime around then; they had, after all, been in a very rocky time in terms of peace and settling. His mother had mourned for a long time, with Jack and Mary taking over their chores in order to make their mother happier and less stressed. They would go out and get her favorite flowers, putting them into chains that were clunky and awkward. This always made her happier, and before long, their mother had forced herself to get up out of bed and had given herself a short, short haircut. "It's time for a new life!" she'd said that day, smiling at the two kids. They'd been estatic, letting out whoops of joy as they nearly crushed her between them. She'd taken over the household as soon as she was up and about again. She marched to the fields and harvested them, saved the soil and got ready for the next one. She milked their cow, told Jack to go get their sheep to wash and shear, and cleaned the house from top to bottom - it wasn't large, and with three people cleaning, it wasquickly done.This had inspired Jack when he'd witnessed all of this. She'd been so sad, but upon seeing her kids trying to cheer her up, she had pulled herself out of it. He wanted that strength, and the strength to make others happy, as his mother had done to others in the village. His mother even began to sing lullabies to them again; something she'd paused when his father had passed, he'd wager. She would settle on Jack's bed, pulling Mary close to her and resting her hand on Jack's knee. Jack would be wrapped up in his blanket - made with love from his mom - and he'd listen as she sung a lullaby that was both haunting and beautiful - mystical and a warning.Her hand would stroke Mary's hair, who's brown eyes would begin to droop, then close, Jack's eyes soon following as her voice filled their small home."Little rabbits, chasing the sun,brought about by the weary souls of the fields.Terrors hidden,men of shadow cloaked,bringing those in need to the deepest point.Dear small child, hold me close,I'll bring you safety,from the man in the shadows.He cannot cross here,the moonlight brings you comfort,it'll bring you sanctuary.Holding the man in the cloakin the shadows where he belongs.Be the moonlight,be the sun.Bring joy to those who desire,Bring happiness to those of despairand be my children, be my little rabbits."By the time she would finish her lulluby, they would both be asleep. He'd always wake up, warm and tucked in.He remembered helping her out in the fields, pulling weeds, chasing off crows and tilling the soil. Their livestock were usually lumped in with the rest of the livestock, since their village was so, so small. But he would help the adult men in the village chase the sheep into a pond - one different from the one he died in - and wash them so he could help shear them, and bring home the wool for his mom to make them new clothes. She taught him to weave the fabric on her loom, which had been made by his father by hand. Subconsciously, he rubbed the fabric of his pants. They had been made by both him and his mom. She'd been teaching him how to make his own clothes. "I won't be here forever, Jackie." she'd ruffled his hair, bringing him close.Neither had realized that it would actually be him that wouldn't be there forever. During the spring, he and Mary would be found searching high and low for berries that they could bring home. They would come home with full baskets and stained fingers and faces, stains on their clothes and teeth; it always made his mom laugh. She had a laugh that reminded Jack of sleigh bells, but it would quickly turn loud and be coming from her belly - she'd be clutching her gut and laughing her heart out. He could remember a few things she told him through his life, aside from the laughter and sadness, clear as day:"Sweetie, would you mind going to hunt with the others?""Honey, I need to go to the market, want to go with?""Mary, Jack, it's planting time!""Are your chores done, my darlings?"For a brief moment, he compared Evelyn to his mother and realized that they would have been great friends. Both cared dearly for their children, always praising them and giving them all their love - never hiding the love they had for them. They'd always call their kids 'darlings' or 'sweeties', 'sugarpies' and 'honey pot'. He realized that he missed his mom. He missed the moments that he felt completely safe and loved, where he and his sister would rush to their mom and knock her down. She'd never be mad - she always laughed and held them tight.He missed his home, which he knew was either long decaying or long gone. He missed the springs where he'd be going berry hunting. He missed making his own clothes, the feel of the loom under his hands. He missed his life, but he didn't want to leave the one he had now.Jack supposed that it was just an exchange he made when he saved his sister. He hadn't been aware then of the price of the exchange, but he'd nonetheless been willing to make it.As a reward, he now had the luxury of going through the main details of his memories.That would be enough, for now.It had to be enough - and for now, it was.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The ceiling of Ida’s room was decorated with stars. They were hand-painted, each and every one of them, by Rosie. The moment she’d heard that she was going to have two younger siblings, she’d taken one of the largest, empty rooms and had started her overhaul. Tree didn’t seem to mind, quite enjoying having the stars on her skin.
By the time Adi and Ida were born, the room was completed. A soft blue as the base color, gold as an accent, and the beautiful galaxy on the ceiling and wherever else Rosie deemed it necessary. Ida was sure that if his moms hadn’t talked her out of painting the windows, she would have covered them, too.
He was glad that she hadn’t, though. He loved the view from his room, the beautiful curves of the windowsill that shone with the light of the passing day.
Ida grew up with this room, although Adi left to stay in his own room shortly after they turned 13. He attributed his love of the stars to Rosie.
His pillows propped him up ever-so-slightly, allowing him to look around the room once more before he turned on his side and wrapped his arms around the largest of the bunch, a down-stuffed pillow. He pulled his blankets up to his neck, quickly warming up against the growing chill. His mind played through the past few days - his forced closeness with Frost, the undeniable change in their relationship, and the upcoming Ceremony. When he wasn’t looking at one part of the timeline closely, he could feel the stress of everything else on his shoulders. This intense, sudden feeling made him nervous, so he avoided lingering for too long, choosing to focus on smaller, more specific events as he tried to fall asleep.
Falling asleep was always a curse for him. There was just so much to do, so much energy that lingered within him, that forcing himself to close his eyes was a chore. He understood Tree to a certain extent when it came to her insistence on the Cupids pretending to be humans - maybe she missed them. She’d grown up with them long before they’d been mostly wiped out, core memories of Tree’s being formed around the relationships she’d formed. Relationships she couldn’t get back.
That’s why the Cupids were made, to pretend to be humans. Pretend to be something that was on the verge of no longer existing.
These thoughts were depressing, so Ida went back to going over what he’d gone through over the last couple of days.
He finally settled on the memory from a few hours before. The feeling of Jack’s hands on his back and arms, the cold air that blew his hair back and made his face turn red from the cold was a lingering sensation that he didn’t want to let go of just yet.
His pillows slowly became an inviting reprieve, his blankets becoming entangled in his legs. He sunk deeper within his bedsheets, the world outside fading the further he sunk.
He could hear the softest breath of Tree’s voice before he faded into unconsciousness.
The dream was full of flowers. The scent of spring blew into Ida’s face, of damp earth and rain, and he took a second to collect himself. A shimmering lake lay in front of him, the same lake that he and Jack had skated across. There was no ice anymore - at least not altogether. Broken slabs of ice drifted in the waters, mimicking the clouds in the sky.
The dead tree was further in the water, slowly being dragged in and hidden from view with the rising water. The sand under Ida’s feet was warm from the sun. A small tilt of his head showed him that there were two figures sitting on the trunk of the dead tree that was still above water, closer to the roots.
Like so many other dreams before, the faces were obscured. A picture that was being developed and someone had smudged the faces of these people before everything was set.
He could hear sounds of laughter, one of the figures leaning towards the other and wrapping their arms around the other’s bicep.
Ida didn’t look away - he couldn’t. He didn’t want to.
He was so focused on the two figures, so obviously in love, that he didn’t realize that the rest of the dream was fading away. The wind picked up, blowing his hair into his eyes and forcing him to blink and try to comb it away with his fingers.
By the time he managed to regain his vision, nothing remained. It was nothing but a white space - until he felt someone grab his arms.
The whiteness quickly made itself known as a blizzard. Shrieking winds covered the sounds of the person’s footsteps and carrying away his sudden shriek of surprise. Oddly enough, there was no sense of danger. Rather, the hands provided Ida a sense of security he didn’t have before. Was it because he had no other options? Would he rather face his fate with a stranger than with the wild winds? He pressed himself backwards, the hands helping to pull him closer. Brown fabric danced in the corner of Ida’s eyes; it didn’t line up with the blizzard winds, as if he and the owner of the brown fabric were untouched by the blizzard.
The hands released his arms, moving to wrap around him instead. He could feel a chin on his shoulder, but not the usual warmth someone else would have provided.
He wanted to see who this person was, who was keeping him so safe from a blizzard that was so dangerous while being just as cold.
He started to turn his face towards them - and was met with darkness.
The smell of his sheets helped him piece together that he was awake now, that it had all been part of some messed up dream.
It was morning, and the beams of sunlight invited him to get up and help set up for the Bonding Ceremony. Despite being awake, the latter half of the dream had left a comforting chill in his very blood. To remove himself from the remnants of this dream made Ida linger far longer in bed than he normally would.
He finally sighed, silence greeting him back. He could hear his older sister, Lilith, in the kitchen, talking to someone about flower arrangements.
The blankets were thrown back, and he finally stood.
It was time for him to get up.
When the sun rose above the horizon, Jack briefly considered starting a blizzard to hide it.
The memory of last nights’ dreams weren’t ones he was ready to let go of, even if he was still trying to make sense of how they bled together, and when. He remembered his mother, his sister, the life he had before he’d fallen through the ice and had lost it all. But he also remembered the feeling of spring on his face, laughter in his ears, and then the biting cold of one of his blizzards. He remembered… someone. He was holding onto them as if they would break in his hands.
A sunbeam shone directly onto his face, the winds messing with his hair and making it more of a mess than it was before - and that was a feat of its own.
The time to wake up was now, and Jack knew it, so he swung his legs down from their perch on the thick tree branch. He blindly reached around for Twiner, firmly grasping the staff before letting the curved end slowly swing towards the ground. His cold hands rubbed the remaining sleep sand from his eyes while a quick shake of his head revealed shimmering grains of the same sand.
He finally looked up while rubbing the back of his neck.
Central Park wasn’t what it used to be, that was for sure. He still remembered when the town was just starting out, how few people there were. Now, you couldn’t look in one direction without seeing someone. A simple shout could get the attention of the passer-by when that wasn’t always the case. He also remembered when the park
wasn’t
a park - it was a small town of its own, with plenty of people residing there.
Why was the park made again?
Jack was old, but that didn’t mean he knew everything. Reaching into his memories brought back very little. Something something, the wealthier residents of New York wanted a pretty place to go carriage riding. Jack supposed they hadn’t cared for the poorer residents when the time came for the project to be approved.
When did they ever?
The snow that had settled onto the ground was undisturbed - at least for now. From his perch in the tree, Jack could see a city official at one of the entrances to the park, a machine in hand to clear the snow off of the sidewalks.
The winter sprite stood, ready to head off back to Valentine’s once more when he heard the sound of children. The usual complaints could easily be heard.
“I’m so cold!”
“It’s freezing.”
“Mom said we can get coco if we stay out for a little bit.”
“I dare you to lick the metal post!”
The winds carried Jack over to the group without a second thought. There were at least five in the group, some properly shielded against the cold with stiff snow pants, snow boots and a winter jacket. Others were more scarce, with a heavy coat, a hat and some mittens. Already, their faces were rosy with the cold.
The youngest of the group, maybe 7, was following after a girl that was quickly revealed to be his sister.
“Kayla, can we get some coco yet?” The kid had the biggest brown eyes Jack had ever seen.
He followed the group, twirling his staff until it rested on his shoulder. His feet left no footprints when compared to the group.
“Not yet,” She knelt down and briefly adjusted his scarf so that it was tighter and warmer around his neck. “Mom probably isn’t back from the store yet - she said, like, 20 minutes.”
The group of kids was followed by an older teen - possibly an older sibling, possibly a friend. Kayla’s hair was done up in neat rows of braids, with gorgeous beads on the ends.
“But I’m cold!” Her brother complained.
“So am I. You know what Mom said to do when you’re cold?” Kayla raised a brow, the start of a smile on her lips.
“What?”
“She said to get some exercise.”
Kayla’s words were met with complaints from everyone. Jack gave a soft chuckle, leaning down towards the snow and scooping up a snowball. Did he use some magic? Maybe. But all is fair in love and war, isn’t it?
He chose his target carefully as the group chatted amongst each other, standing closer together to hopefully get warmer. Within seconds, Kayla’s hat was knocked off her head. The remnants of the snowball stuck onto it.
She whirled around, accusing the oldest of throwing it at her. ‘Ronnie’ was quick to defend himself, but Kayla wasn’t having it. She was quick to scoop up her own snowball and tossed it at Ronnie’s face.
Just like that, the group was splitting and everyone was yelling and throwing snowballs. Jack joined in the fun, helping to make more snowballs and fortify both sides. Whenever an adult attempted to stop the kids and regain order, Jack got them to join in with just a couple of snowballs.
The pinched faces of some much, much older folks relaxed when his magic did it’s work. Even a couple of elderly folk joined in, getting help from the youngest of the bunch to get ammo and throw.
When it all quieted down, there was so much laughter and joy. An older black woman entered the park carrying a bag with the logo of a grocery store nearby, calling for Kayla and Adam. The younger sibling was quick to run over, grabbing onto his mom’s pant leg and telling her about everything that had happened. Kayla and Ronnie exchanged brief goodbyes before she was running after her brother.
With the group now separated, Jack finally took off. The words of an elderly man telling some of the other kids stories from his own days of youth followed Jack. The buzz that came with helping others have fun set in - he would never get over it. It was the same every time, a feeling he was sure he was never going to get over.
As he left New York, the winds brought snow with them - gentle at first, then more fierce. People ran for their homes or shelter when the weather got worse. Jack flew past the people, briefly causing some mischief by icing the sidewalk or freezing the hinges on a few open windows.
The harbor was coming up fast - the choppy waves of the ocean gave Jack a sense of nostalgia that he couldn’t place. Maybe he used to live near the ocean, a long time ago, before he was Jack Frost. Before any of this.
He stopped on the edge of a pier, the water below dark. He couldn’t see much, if anything. He couldn’t even see the ground - maybe it was for the best. His eyes followed a couple of people as they passed by him. He caught snippets of their conversations, mostly those that were aimed at ‘adulthood’.
“My bills are stacking up, Kristie. I’m working all the time and nothing seems to be going right.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the kids were taking my energy - I’m just so tired and they’re so… enthusiastic.”
“I can’t believe Josh broke up with me again! I’m so sick of him!”
The last conversation made him tune out - humans were so weird when it came to relationships nowadays. Then again, he never really got into dating, or courting as it was known as during his times. He was busy helping his mom, and leaving his sister behind wasn’t something he’d wanted to do. Not when it came to marrying someone. He hopped on top of a wooden post, feeling the wood prick the soles of his feet. He held Twiner in the crook of his arms as he faced the horizon, greeting the endless ocean.
Valentine’s always seemed so far away to Jack.
Not just physically. Crossing an ocean was easier than it was when it came to being emotionally prepared for visiting. He wasn’t used to the constant barrage of positivity and happiness that Valentine’s seemed to embody. Even Evelyn grew to be tiresome if he stayed for too long.
Maybe the winds sensed his hesitation as he lifted himself onto his toes, preparing himself to start the long journey. They were soft and playful, lifting only his hair before it began to pick up when he tipped himself forward. The water rushed toward his face, threatening to swallow him and hide him within the depths of the waters. Just before he could hit the water, the wind picked up. People lost papers, hats, scarves, and whatever else wasn’t kept in a tight grasp. Jack was whisked into the open sky, leaving the sounds of the city behind.
He rose quickly, soaring above the gray clouds. The sun, which had seemed so far away before, shined brighter than ever.
From up here, he couldn’t see the ocean below him. He couldn’t see just how small he was compared to it all, favoring instead to fly through the clouds and avoiding the rare bird or two that could make it out this far.
His head seemed as clear as the skies when he was flying around like this - it was a shame when the journey ended so much faster than if he were to be on a plane or a ship.
Far too soon, he was landing on the shores of Valentines, tucked away in some part of France or what-have-you. Evelyn had said it used to be France, according to Tree. Yet every time Jack landed in the festive village, the air itself seemed different. It was like in the North Pole, the Burrow, or Tooth’s Palace. It was its own world, with its own rules and history.
He didn’t mind that, if he were to be honest.
Villagers waved their hellos, or gave him brief ‘Welcome back!’s as he meandered down the brick paths. He chose to walk, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling village once more. It was almost like he hadn’t been there yesterday, or the day before. Someone had taken the time to clear the walkways of snow, so early in the morning. The gray clouds that had suppressed New York were gone, the sun shining freely in their place.
From his place on the outskirts of town, he could see Tree, tall and incredibly strong. From here, she was no different from the trees in Central Park; Jack knew better.
He walked quicker once he was in the village, making his way to Ida’s home.
Ida’s?
Evelyn’s home, his friend. His friend of over a century - how could he not consider her home hers in his own mind?
He shook his head trying to shake the confusion that he left himself in. He almost welcomed the distraction of some Cupid children grabbing him by his free hand, yelling for him to join them in decorating.
Casting one last glance to Tree, where he could see movement within the windows, he allowed himself to be led away, leaving behind his confusing feelings for a few hours.
Ida’s day was full of preparations for his own party. When taking just a moment to rest, his twin, Adi, leaned on his shoulder and smiled.
“It’s not so easy planning a Bonding Ceremony, now is it?”
“No,” Ida admitted, sighing as he began to sort through yet another box of odds and ends. “It’s not. I’d rather just use magic or something.”
Adi knelt by the same box, picking up an outdated decoration and tossing it over his shoulder. “Shame we can’t use any of it. That Frost man, on the other hand ....”
Ida couldn’t explain why, but he quickly found his annoyance rising. He slammed his hands on the edges of the box, looking up at Adi and frowning.
“That’s different. He can’t make decorations appear out of nowhere, nor can he get clothes ready in the blink of an eye, or bake the cake that I’ve finally managed to decide on.”
He knew he messed up when Adi’s grin went from smug to sly.
“Oh? You’re awfully defensive against Jack-” Adi was hit in the face with another decoration, effectively warning him to shut up or else. “Fine, fine! You’re really being so mean to me right now.”
“I couldn’t care less,” Ida rolled his eyes, focusing his attention back on the box before him.
Adi huffed, sauntering off to go help one of their other siblings with planning. Maybe he went off to help Roman plant some new rose bushes, or maybe he decided to help Rosie set up the ballroom. Either way, Ida was left alone for a few precious moments with his thoughts and the box.
That was, until Lilith swept into the kitchen.
She looked haggard, a look he didn’t think he’d ever seen on her before. She was usually laid-back. Ida opened his mouth to question her, but she hushed him, glancing around the kitchen.
“Someone making your cake yet?” she looked back at him.
He shook his head, raising a brow as he finally managed to get to the bottom of the box. She started taking out pots and pans, glassware and utensils. It seems she’s made up her mind to make the cake, with no intention of being stopped. That was a trait they shared - their stubbornness, inherited from Momma Ruth.
“Tell me about that Jack Frost guy that’s been hanging around here.” It was a demand, and one Ida suddenly felt shy about. Had she overheard his and Adi’s conversation?
“Well-”
“And don’t be shy about it. I know you two have been getting along better lately.”
He could barely hear her mutter, “Caught me by surprise…” before she was turning around and putting her hair into a ponytail. An apron was quickly tied on over her black attire, and her hands were washed quickly. Ingredients practically appeared on the kitchen counter, she was moving so quickly around the kitchen.
“I don’t… I guess we’re not
friends,
per se…” Why was he so hesitant? This was just Jack.
Jack.
Ida remembered Jack’s cool hand in Ida’s own warm one, and he felt a blush creeping up on the back of his neck. He was quick to look back at the task of getting the discarded decorations back into the box, something he was happy to do and take his time making sure of.
“Then what are you?” Lilith was cut and dry. Eggs, flour, sugar, butter - all of it was measured and thrown into a bowl.
Ida knew that had she not found her love of riding her motorcycle and traveling, she would have made an amazing chef. He often misses the pancakes she would make when he was young - ones she claimed were only for her, but ones she pretended to not notice were missing when he snuck some from her plate.
“I don’t know what we are.” The blush moved from his neck to his face.
He could hear the stirrer stop; no doubt Lilith was looking at him, either amused, concerned, or annoyed with his friendliness towards Jack.
“I want everything to be perfect for my party,” he cleared his throat, hoping she’d get the hint that he was done talking about this specific topic. “Which means that there has to be no blizzards.”
“And that means what, exactly?” Ida looked up at his sister when he couldn’t feel her gaze on him anymore. She had a smudge of flour on her cheek.
“What do you mean?”
“I
mean
does that mean you want him to go to the ceremony? If you’re unsure, maybe you shouldn’t have him go.”
“I can’t do that!” Once more, Ida’s emotions got the best of him. “I mean. Mom already invited him. And uninviting him would be rude.”
“Who cares if it’s rude?” Lilith scoffed. “It’s your party. If you decide that a guest isn’t worth putting up with, you can toss them out.”
She was pouring the batter into the shaped cake pan. One, two, three - a tiered cake, just as Ida had asked for. Different from Adi, who had asked for a sheet cake and some cupcakes instead.
Just as quickly as she’d done everything else, Lilith popped the full cake pans into the oven, closing the door and finally facing Ida head-on.
“Or are you just embarrassed because you’re starting to like him when you used to absolutely hate him over something petty?”
If Ida thought he was in the clear when it came to blushing, Lilith’s words shattered any hope he had. He could feel just how red he was getting - out of anger, embarrassment, or both, he wasn’t sure.
“That’s not! I don’t-! I didn’t!” Ida was tripping over his words, trying to both justify and apologize for his behavior.
She watched him for a few moments before she spoke again.
“Ida.”
Something about her voice gave him pause, making him look at her. Her eyes seemed to look right through him, past his insecurities and his confusing mess of emotions. Something about her made him want to burst into tears. Instead, he let his arms go limp, hanging over the side of the box as he bowed his head.
“I don’t know anymore. He’s not. He’s not awful anymore! And he’s fun to hang out with, I guess? But I just…” His hands buried themselves into his hair, comforting himself.
He heard her moving, but he assumed she was checking on the cake. She’d never been one for affection, romantic or platonic. It caught him by surprise when she hugged him, giving him a stiff pat on the back in a clear attempt to comfort him. Her head rested on his shoulder.
“There there.” Her voice was practically robotic.
Between how uncomfortable she was and her clear attempt at a joke via the ‘robot voice’, Ida couldn’t help but laugh. The moment it was clear he would be fine, she retracted her arms.
“You better appreciate that. I have to wash my hands all over again.”
“I will, I will.” he laughed, wiping his eyes.
They shared a moment of silence as Lilith washed her hands again, then she sat on one of the chairs and faced Ida once more.
“But be for real. What’s going on with… that?” she gestured to all of him.
“All of me?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Ida hesitated again before it all came out - how he hated Jack because of the stunt he pulled all those years ago, how he’d shown up recently. The events from the past few days, and the struggles Ida’s had to continue hating Jack. He ended it with the most recent event - Jack teaching him to ice skate and walking him home, how nice it had all been.
“I can’t help but remember everything I’d done to him, Lil… everything I’d said. I was
awful,
and it’s all happening so
fast…”
Lilith considered the facts of it all - he knew he could trust her to think about all this logically, especially since she didn’t have much emotional investment involved.
“You’re gonna hate it.” She teased.
“I have a feeling I’d hate a lot of things you’d suggest.”
She nodded, shrugging a shoulder at his response. “Of course you would.” She checked on the cake, telling him what she’d decided while she did so. “You should apologize.”
Ida instantly didn’t want to. He was prideful, to a point where it was a problem - like now. Apologizing to Jack would involve putting down the grudge he’d held for decades, and he just didn’t want to do that. It meant admitting he was wrong.
But he knew he had to.
If he was going to get over these confusing emotions, if he was going to figure out how Jack felt about him now, he had to apologize. He knew well and good that pretending nothing happened would just cause resentment.
He held a bouquet of roses in his hands, staring at them for a minute, then two. He would stare down every petal of every rose before he would speak, hoping it would settle the negativity he was suddenly experiencing. It was like a wave of nausea had hit him all at once. Lilith took his silence as him thinking things over. She wasn’t wrong, of course. She knew her brother better than anyone else, that’s why she suggested the apology as a means to an end.
It was up to Ida on what he would do next.
“Think it over.” She broke the silence first, opening the oven and checking on its contents. “But be quick about it. You only have tonight to think it over before your Bonding Ceremony, and you know that weird song Momma always sang to us. Something, something, negative emotions during happy times leads to misery and wine.”
“Okay. I will.” Ida stood up, feeling as if he’d been relieved of a heavy burden, only to be replaced with another one. “I’m gonna go down to the village, see if there’s anything I can do to help set up.”
“Whatever,” Lilith scoffed, looking towards the kitchen windows. “You’re
totally
not going to go see Jack, right?”
“What?!” Ida hurried over to the window, instantly being greeted with the sight of Jack entertaining some village kids.
No, no no no! It was too soon! He’d barely had five minutes to think everything over! He needed more time to prepare-
Jack saw him.
Before he could duck behind a curtain or drop to the floor, Jack saw him, smiled, and waved. Then, he motioned for Ida to come down.
Lilith watched Ida’s face go pale, then pink. It was always amusing to see just how bad he was at hiding his emotions. She then watched him quickly gather up his coat, telling her that he was heading out and not to expect him back anytime soon.
She called back, “Good!” before he was out the door. Finally, Lilith could focus on making her brothers’ cake.
Ida hurried down the snowy hill, excitement running through him. He’d felt sick to his stomach when Jack had seen him when he was so ill-prepared, but when Jack had smiled at him, had invited him down… he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see him. It was almost as if he’d missed him.
That was nonsense - Ida may have started enjoying Jack’s presence lately, but that was just because they were finally on friendly terms. Ida didn’t miss him as much as he wanted to rebuild their relationship that he’d ruined to start with - he wanted to get along with Jack, hated being so angry at him all the time. He was ready, and finally willing, to let go of his anger and his grudge after speaking with his sister.
He made his way around a corner and almost crashed into Jack. The only thing that saved him from such a fate was the corner of the bakery, which he clung to after slamming his hand against the siding. Jack turned to face him, laughing when he saw Ida.
“That was fast. I almost thought you’d tell me to fuck off again.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Ida said, a smile crossing his face. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Will a cup of coco and a warm croissant change your mind?” Jack held out both items, Twiner resting in the crook of his left arm to accommodate.
Ida took them with slight hesitation and a quick thank you, suddenly embarrassed that he might be coming off as too excited.
“They might,” He glanced over at the villagers that were gathered around, then back to Jack. “I came down to check on the decorations. See if someone needs my help.”
Jack gave an understanding nod - or he tried to. The face of smug satisfaction could barely be hidden, but Ida didn’t seem to be looking at him.
“I see how it is. You can’t even trust me with a few decorations?” His hand rested over his chest in a way that conveyed he was hurt.
For Ida, however, it reminded him that he needed to return Jack’s sweater to him. Without it, he looked odd, almost uncomfortable.
“Where’s your vest?” Jack was speaking again, looking down at the sweater Ida wore.
It was a rather simple, red sweater, a turtleneck. Ida loved it dearly, mending it time and again rather than tossing it out. At this point, it could have been an entirely new sweater from when it had been first made due to how often and how much of the sweater Ida had to fix.
“It’s in the wash,” He hummed, biting into the croissant. He was pleasantly surprised to find the inside filled with jam. “I don’t wear it 24/7, you know.”
“Sure.”
They started heading down the snowy streets, prepared to meet the night with new vigor. Jack laughed as he watched Ida swipe at the jam that was attempting to drip down his chin, Ida casting annoyed glances towards the winter sprite due to his inability to speak. They were alone together, lingering behind the crowd of Cupids as Ida discussed his Bonding Ceremony, answering questions that Jack had of what it all entailed and of what he planned to do when it was over.
In return, Jack told Ida details that he remembered from the fight with Pitch, keeping some more personal aspects of the fight excluded, such as when he remembered his past life and the memories he was slowly regaining of his family.
Those were his secret, at least for now.
Their footprints were left in the snow, the dark growing with every passing second. Ida caught the final wisps of sunset on the horizon, nudging Jack to look. When the sun was extinguished, they made their way to the group of kids that called for them - well, specifically Jack.
As the two made their way, pretending to be walking as fast as they could, the night settled in.
Tomorrow was the Bonding Ceremony. They had tonight to celebrate.